The veteran's cause of death, respiratory failure due to metastatic prostate cancer, was not related to service or his service-connected disabilities. The veteran did not meet the criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of evidence does not show a relationship between the veteran's service-connected right arm disabilities and his prostate cancer, nor that these disabilities contributed to his death from metastatic prostate cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic prostate cancer, respiratory arrest
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- August 8, 2006
- Citation
- 0623861
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 0623861.
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 metastatic prostate cancer, finding that the evidence is at least in approximate equipoise regarding whether it was caused by the Veteran's conceded in-service toxic exposure risk activities.
- Granted
The Veteran's death from metastatic prostate cancer is service-connected due to asbestos exposure during his active duty. The Board granted service connection for the cause of death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as there was no evidence linking his metastatic prostate cancer to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there is no medical or lay evidence supporting that his service-connected disabilities caused or contributed to his death.
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