The Board found no evidence that the veteran's service-connected GSW residuals contributed to his death, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing that the veteran's service-connected GSW disabilities were a principal or contributory cause of his death from pulmonary edema due to metastatic cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- Pulmonary edema, Pancreatic cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2008
- Citation
- 0843634
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 0843634.
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 determined that the Veteran's death from pancreatic cancer may be service-connected due to environmental exposures in service, and thus remands for a medical opinion on this issue. The DIC benefits claim is also remanded.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to pancreatic cancer, finding that it was caused by herbicide agent exposure and the service-connected diabetes mellitus. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the appellant.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran is granted effective dates for awards of SMC at various rates, with the earliest being December 13, 2023. The SMC is awarded based on his service-connected conditions and their impact on his daily life.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was due to acute respiratory failure, with pulmonary edema, acute renal failure, renal cell cancer, and coronary artery disease as contributing causes. The VA examiner found that the asbestos exposure did not contribute to these conditions.
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