The Veteran's death from pancreatic cancer was not caused by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. The medical evidence does not support a link between the two conditions.
The deciding factor: A VA expert concluded that there is no causal relationship between the Veteran's fatal pancreatic cancer and his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type 2.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type II, Pancreatic Cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- September 11, 2015
- Citation
- 1538935
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 1538935.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his claims of service connection for PTSD, a rating increase for PTSD, and service connection for pancreatic cancer secondary to diabetes.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD alone is sufficient to grant a TDIU, and his other service-connected disabilities are at least 60% combined. The Veteran also meets the criteria for SMC based on housebound status.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for DIC benefits due to the Veteran's cause of death, finding that there was no prior pending claim and that the current grant of service connection for the cause of death is based on direct service connection rather than a presumption.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations and effective dates have been denied. The Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities are currently rated at 60 percent, 20 percent, and varying percentages respectively.
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