The Veteran's cause of death was not found to be service-connected, and the DIC claim under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 is denied due to lack of evidence of herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was no direct evidence linking the Veteran’s conditions to his military service or to herbicide exposure, and thus denied both the cause of death claim and the DIC claim under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes mellitus, type II, Congestive heart failure, Pancreatic cancer, Acute respiratory failure, Acute renal failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2016
- Citation
- 1633138
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 1633138.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart condition was granted with an effective date of August 1, 2019. The decision is based on evidence showing exposure to diesel and gas fuel during service.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted SMC at the (r)(1) rate due to his service-connected major depressive disorder and congestive heart failure, which require regular aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart conditions may be related to his service-connected sleep apnea and/or generalized anxiety disorder, but further examination is needed to determine causation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding the lack of development related to Agent Orange exposure and solvent/asbestos exposure.
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