The Board denied the appellant's claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's fatal liver cancer to his service-connected diabetes mellitus or presumed exposure to herbicides in Vietnam. The Board concluded that the Veteran's fatal liver cancer was related to Hepatitis C which was incurred in service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish a link between the Veteran's service-connected conditions and his fatal liver cancer, nor could it be attributed to his presumed exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic liver cancer
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2009
- Citation
- 0925672
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 0925672.
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 Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and potential errors in legal standards. The claims will be reconsidered with new opinions addressing the etiology of the Veteran's colon cancer, including its relationship to his military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that his metastatic liver cancer was at least as likely as not related to exposure to herbicides during active service. The decision is based on a private medical opinion supporting this conclusion.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error regarding service connection for cause of death. An addendum opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran's cancer is related to in-service herbicide exposure.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for colon cancer and metastatic liver cancer due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his active service in Vietnam.
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