The Board finds that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to or caused his death from gallbladder cancer and deep vein thrombosis. The cause of death is therefore considered related to active service.
The deciding factor: The Board found no clear evidence either way, but the Appellant presented consistent testimony linking the Veteran’s in-service injuries to his later health issues.
- Claimed conditions
- Gallbladder cancer with metastasis, Deep vein thrombosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 16, 2013
- Citation
- 1329569
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 1329569.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since October 1, 2009. The Board has granted an effective earlier date of October 1, 2009 for a TDIU.
- Denied
The Veteran's right lower extremity varicose veins, post-phlebitic syndrome, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are currently rated as 10 percent disabling. The Board found that the evidence does not support a higher rating due to lack of persistent edema or stasis pigmentation.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection of right leg post phlebitic syndrome and a higher rating for DVT, but granted a 20 percent rating from November 30, 2022.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as none of the listed causes were related to his period of active duty or presumed exposure to herbicides.
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