The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and entitlement to DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, as there was no evidence that any of the conditions leading to his death were related to his military service, including exposure to ionizing radiation.
The deciding factor: The Board found it unlikely that the veteran's prostate cancer and other contributing factors could be attributed to his exposure to ionizing radiation during service, based on dose assessments and expert opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive heart failure, Pulmonary embolus, Metastatic prostate cancer, Myocardial infarction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 2, 2008
- Citation
- 0814490
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 denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to a lack of sufficient evidence addressing all contentions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a cardiovascular disability, secondary to hypertension, but denied a compensable rating and an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
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