The veteran died in July 2001 and was not receiving VA compensation or pension benefits at the time of his death. His claim for service connection for cancer had been denied, but he did have a pending claim. The Board found that there was insufficient evidence to warrant entitlement to compensation or pension prior to his death. Therefore, burial benefits were denied.
The deciding factor: The veteran's claim for service connection for cancer was not supported by the evidence of record at the time of his death and he had no other claims pending which would have warranted burial benefits based on accrued benefit purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 9, 2006
- Citation
- 0616943
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 0616943.
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
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims of service connection for cancer and a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to potential in-service herbicide exposure. The AOJ is instructed to verify the Veteran's claimed exposure and consider all evidence, including VA outpatient treatment records.
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