The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by or a result of any service-connected disability, including his skin disabilities.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran’s service-connected skin disabilities contributed to his cause of death from metastatic pancreatic cancer. The VA clinician and other experts provided opinions stating there is no known connection between the documented treatment for the service-connected skin disabilities and the development of pancreatic cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- Metastatic pancreatic cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 27, 2017
- Citation
- 1729691
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1729691.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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: Denied
The appeal for entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death and accrued benefits was denied due to a lack of evidence supporting the claim.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his fatal pancreatic cancer was not caused or aggravated by any service-connected disability.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the cause of death was metastatic pancreatic cancer, which is not service-connected. The veteran's prostate cancer did not contribute to his death and there is no evidence linking the pancreas cancer to service or Agent Orange exposure. Therefore, service connection for the cause of death is denied, as well as eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the metastatic pancreatic cancer was not related to military service and did not contribute substantially or materially to cause the veteran's death.
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