The Board determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to his death, and denied the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The fatal disability (metastatic bladder cancer) was not present during service and in fact developed many years after service. The Board concluded that there is no relationship between the fatal disability and the veteran's active service.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic bladder cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2006
- Citation
- 0603305
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his metastatic bladder cancer was likely incurred in or caused by his active service due to exposure to toxic chemicals, including benzene.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death, finding no evidence to support a link between any in-service conditions and the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was attributed to metastatic bladder cancer. The Board is remanding the case due to unclear character of service and incomplete records, particularly for the period from December 1958 to April 1960.
- Granted
The Board finds that service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is warranted based on the evidence showing that arteriosclerotic heart disease substantially or materially contributed to his death, and applying the doctrine of reasonable doubt.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.