The Board has granted service connection for bladder cancer involving the distal right ureter and non-functioning kidney, finding that exposure to arsenic-laced herbicides during service is related to the Veteran's condition.
The deciding factor: The VA specialist found it at least as likely as not that the Veteran's bladder cancer was related to his presumed exposure to arsenic-containing herbicides during his period of active service.
- Claimed conditions
- carcinoma of the bladder, non-functioning kidney
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 11, 2015
- Citation
- 1534287
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 1534287.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of January 1, 2009 for the veteran's Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits. The decision was based on the veteran's presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam and the subsequent inclusion of bladder cancer as a presumptive disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for carcinoma of the bladder, including as due to Gulf War exposures. The Veteran's claims were denied previously and new evidence was submitted within a year of those decisions. A VA examiner is needed to address the etiology of the Veteran's bladder cancer considering his in-service exposures and other relevant factors.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the effective date for DIC based on service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death should be November 1, 2013, as this is the earliest allowable effective date based on the relevant law and regulation pertaining to DIC claims. The appellant’s October 2013 claim was interpreted by the AOJ as including a claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for carcinoma of the bladder (also claimed as bladder cancer) is granted due to presumed exposure in the Gulf War.
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