The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death, metastatic cancer of the pancreas, was not caused by or aggravated by a service-connected disability. The appellant did not have a service-connected disability rated as totally disabling for at least 10 years prior to her husband's death.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that pancreatic cancer is not a disease for which VA has established a medical relationship with herbicide exposure, and the veteran's diabetes mellitus type II was not service connected at the time of his death. The weight of evidence did not establish that the veteran's diabetes caused or aggravated his pancreatic cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic cancer of the pancreas
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 31, 2006
- Citation
- 0622785
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 0622785.
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.
- Denied
The Board found that a service-connected disability did not cause or contribute substantially to the veteran's death, and that he was unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the veteran's exposure to ionizing radiation during service, specifically Operation CROSSROADS. The claim will be further developed and reviewed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's left eye condition is related to service, as it found that the condition did not preexist service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer, related to in-service exposures at Camp Lejeune.
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