The Veteran's death was not caused or substantially contributed to by a service-connected disability. The cause of death, carcinoma of unknown primary site (poorly differentiated papillary carcinoma), was not related to his military service.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the Veteran’s cause of death to any service-connected condition and no indication that he died from an illness associated with herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- carcinoma of unknown primary site (poorly differentiated papillary carcinoma (liver, adrenal, scapula)), acute renal failure, hematemesis, portal hypertension, chronic liver disease, liver cirrhosis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2010
- Citation
- 1040127
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1040127.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, including hypertension and diabetes mellitus type II, are presumed to be related to his service in the Republic of Vietnam. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for back disability, gastrointestinal condition, gynecomastia, kidney lesion, and liver cirrhosis due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The case is remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error that occurred prior to the rating decision on appeal. The Veteran's fatty liver disease, post-liver transplant, is being remanded for an addendum opinion addressing the etiology of his liver disorders before and after his liver transplant.
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