The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and entitlement to DEA benefits, as there was no evidence that the Veteran's pancreatic cancer was caused by his exposure to ionizing radiation during service.
The deciding factor: The probability of causation based on available data was found to be 0.22%, which is not considered convincing evidence linking the Veteran's fatal pancreatic cancer to in-service radiation exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- carcinoma of the pancreas
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 6, 2009
- Citation
- 0908468
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the case to obtain a new medical opinion from an oncologist regarding the Veteran's cause of death. The previous opinions did not comply with the Board's instructions.
- Granted
The Veteran served near the DMZ during his service in Korea. His death was caused by atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which is considered to have been incurred or aggravated due to his service in the DMZ under the Act. Service connection for cause of death is granted.
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