The veteran's bladder cancer was denied service connection as it is not a presumptive disease for herbicide exposure, and there is no credible evidence of direct causation.
The deciding factor: Bladder cancer may not be presumed to have been incurred during active military service due to herbicide exposure (including Agent Orange exposure), and the available scientific evidence does not support an association between such exposure and bladder cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- bladder cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 9, 2008
- Citation
- 0815399
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,515 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0815399.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's prostate and bladder cancer rating was reduced from 100% to 40%, effective December 1, 2025. The Veteran withdrew his appeal at a Board hearing held in April 2026.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus II, ischemic heart disease, and bladder cancer due to lack of evidence supporting herbicide exposure during service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment prior to January 31, 2023.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since June 2, 2017. The Board has decided that he is entitled to a TDIU effective from that date.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.