The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided did not find a causal relationship between the Veteran's prescribed pain medication and his development of cholangiocarcinoma, which led to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Traumatic arthritis of the left knee, Degenerative arthritic of the thoracolumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome, Patellofemoral pain syndrome of the right knee, Intervertebral disc syndrome of the right lower extremity, Intervertebral disc syndrome of the left lower extremity, Adjustment disorder with depressed mood, Erectile dysfunction and scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 30, 2017
- Citation
- 1736100
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 1736100.
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 Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence linking his current mental health conditions to his military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's initial ratings for major depressive disorder and adjustment disorder with depressed mood have been granted at a 50 percent rating, effective September 3, 2024. The Board has now determined that the criteria for an initial 70 percent rating are met from this date.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and adjustment disorder with depressed mood, was denied as there is no verified stressor or corroborated in-service events to support the claimed conditions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board found that the appellant's misconduct was mitigated by his combat-related experiences and mental health symptoms, leading to a decision granting VA benefits despite his bad conduct discharge.
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