The veteran died from a pulmonary embolus and colon cancer, neither of which are service-connected. The Board found no evidence linking the cause of death to his military service.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing that the veteran's death was caused or contributed to by any service-connected disability or due to exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary embolus, carcinoma of the right colon
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 9, 2007
- Citation
- 0704252
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 0704252.
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 Board remands the claim for service connection for cause of death to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including obtaining a medical opinion and additional records.
- Granted
The Veteran passed away while under VA care and at VA expense, meeting the criteria for non-service-connected burial benefits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.,The appeal for service connection for pulmonary embolus is remanded.,The appeal for service connection for deep vein thrombosis and venous embolism and thrombosis of the right lower extremity is remanded.,The appeal for service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is remanded.,The appeal for service connection for a disability of the right knee is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions from VA examiners regarding the Veteran's heart problems and their relation to service, specifically his exposure to gas in gas chambers.
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