The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's service-connected undifferentiated carcinoma caused or contributed to his death. Therefore, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided a balanced view on whether the service-connected condition caused or contributed to the Veteran's death, with some opinions suggesting it was not related and others indicating that it did contribute substantially to the Veteran's demise due to pre-existing organ damage from in-service treatment. The Board found these opinions to be at least in equipoise.
- Claimed conditions
- undifferentiated carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 5, 2016
- Citation
- 1631221
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1631221.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board is considering whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death. The issue also includes determining if the veteran's service-connected tuberculosis contributed to his death in combination with his non-service-connected right lung cancer.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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