The Board found that the veteran's death was not proximately due to or the result of a disease or injury incurred or aggravated during service. The cause of death, metastatic cancer, did not manifest in service and there is no evidence linking it to military service.
The deciding factor: There is no objective evidence of toxic chemical exposure during service and the medical opinion provided does not establish a link between the veteran's cancer and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 11, 2008
- Citation
- 0826961
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0826961.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's throat cancer, which was caused by asbestos exposure in service, led to his fatal metastatic cancer. The VA is instructed to obtain a new VA opinion addressing these theories.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death prior to a decision being made.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by metastatic cancer and transitional cell cancer of the bladder, which are presumed to be due to exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Guam. The Board granted service connection for the cause of death based on this presumption.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's cause of death and his exposure claims. The VA will need to verify the Veteran's service in Vietnam, assess asbestos exposure, and provide a medical opinion on whether any of these exposures contributed to the Veteran's death.
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