The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death was not related to his military service and therefore denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not show any relationship between the Veteran's military service and the conditions that caused his death, including metastatic cancer, end stage liver disease, chronic liver cirrhosis, and recurrent pleural effusion.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic cancer, end stage liver disease, chronic liver cirrhosis, recurrent pleural effusion
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2017
- Citation
- 1747799
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 1747799.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's throat cancer, which was caused by asbestos exposure in service, led to his fatal metastatic cancer. The VA is instructed to obtain a new VA opinion addressing these theories.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death prior to a decision being made.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development and adjudication, including obtaining medical opinions to address the appellant's contentions regarding the cause of her husband's death and whether VA treatment caused or worsened his fatal conditions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by metastatic cancer and transitional cell cancer of the bladder, which are presumed to be due to exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Guam. The Board granted service connection for the cause of death based on this presumption.
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