The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to lack of evidence linking the cancer to service or a service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: Medical opinions did not find any direct link between service-connected conditions and the Veteran's fatal cancer, nor could they establish presumptive service connection based on known exposure to ionizing radiation.
- Claimed conditions
- Adenocarcinoma of unknown primary
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2011
- Citation
- 1102648
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 1102648.
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 Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by a disability of service origin, and thus grants service connection for the cause of his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has ordered additional development to determine the primary site of the veteran's death-causing liver cancer and whether it is among the diseases listed in 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(e) due to Agent Orange exposure.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability and denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.