The Board found that the preponderance of the evidence was against service connection for the veteran's cause of death, as Burkitt's lymphoma did not have its onset during service and was not otherwise related to any incident of service.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion indicated it was less likely than not that the veteran's Burkitt's lymphoma was caused by or a result of his time in service. There was no evidence indicating he served in an area where Burkitt's lymphoma was endemic, namely Africa.
- Claimed conditions
- Burkitt's lymphoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2009
- Citation
- 0903597
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,217 · Granted: 46% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0903597.
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: Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 100% disability rating for Burkitt's lymphoma is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities is denied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for hepatitis C and Burkitt's lymphoma due to a procedural issue with the issuance of a Statement of the Case (SOC).
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Burkitt's lymphoma and hearing loss of the right ear, finding that both conditions are related to the Veteran's military service. The decision is based on direct evidence rather than a presumption.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board cannot make a fully-informed decision on the issue of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea, as the current VA examiner's opinion is inadequate. The Veteran contends that his sleep apnea is due or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities, but the examiner did not consider these factors in their assessment.
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