The Board has determined that the veteran's cancer of the pancreas, which caused his death, was present in service or within one year after service. Therefore, the claim for service connection is granted.
The deciding factor: The expert medical opinion supported by the evidence established that the veteran had back pain as an early manifestation of pancreatic cancer, and this form of cancer is usually diagnosed at a later stage with no symptoms until it is advanced.
- Claimed conditions
- cancer of the pancreas
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 8, 2006
- Citation
- 0613267
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0613267.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected condition, and the claims for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151, accrued benefits, and VA death benefits as an adult helpless child were all denied.
- Denied
The Board found no current findings or diagnoses of cancer of the gall bladder, liver, and pancreas that have been related to service or service-connected disability.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for cancer of the pancreas, finding that there is no indication of cancer during service or within one year post-service and that the most persuasive evidence does not support a relationship between current cancer and service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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