The Board has determined that the Veteran's cholangiocarcinoma, which caused his death, was likely caused by ingesting a parasite during his service in Vietnam. Given all the evidence and considering all reasonable doubt in favor of the claimant, the Board grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence established that the ingestion of a biliary parasite often leads to cholangiocarcinoma, which was the primary cause of the Veteran's death. The appellant presented credible evidence indicating the Veteran consumed local food and water in Vietnam, increasing his risk of contracting the parasite.
- Claimed conditions
- Cholangiocarcinoma
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2012
- Citation
- 1237321
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 1237321.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for liver cancer, finding that there is no evidence to support a causal relationship between his in-service exposures and his diagnosed liver cancer. The medical opinion provided by VA concluded that the liver cancer was not caused by or aggravated by any of the conditions listed.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that the evidence did not support a causal link between the Veteran's cholangiocarcinoma and his military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his cholangiocarcinoma was at least as likely as not related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus and/or in-service herbicide agent exposure.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his cholangiocarcinoma was related to in-service exposure to herbicide agents and/or parasitic infection.
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