The veteran died of metastatic pancreatic carcinoma. The Board found no causal connection between the cause of death and his service-connected disabilities or medications, thus denying service connection for the cause of death. The appellant is not eligible for dependant's educational assistance under Chapter 35 due to lack of a total and permanent disability resulting from a service-connected condition at the time of her husband's death.
The deciding factor: The Board found no medical evidence linking the veteran's medications or his service-connected disabilities to his cause of death, metastatic pancreatic carcinoma. The appellant did not meet the criteria for basic eligibility under Chapter 35 as she did not have a total and permanent disability resulting from a service-connected condition at the time of her husband's death.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic pancreatic carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2006
- Citation
- 0634310
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was not due to his own willful misconduct, but the cause of death (metastatic pancreatic carcinoma) is not service-connected. The Board has remanded for a medical opinion on whether exposure to Agent Orange during service may have contributed to the Veteran's cancer.
- Denied
The veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the appellant did not file for accrued benefits within one year of his death. Therefore, service connection for cause of death is denied, and entitlement to accrued benefits is also denied.
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