The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused or aggravated by a service-connected condition, including his diabetes mellitus and Agent Orange exposure. The cause of death is attributed to carcinoma of the pancreas.
The deciding factor: The most probative evidence did not show a nexus between the Veteran's service-connected conditions and his cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- carcinoma of the pancreas
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2017
- Citation
- 1753531
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 1753531.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the case to obtain a new medical opinion from an oncologist regarding the Veteran's cause of death. The previous opinions did not comply with the Board's instructions.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, carcinoma of the pancreas, is found to be related to his herbicide exposure during active duty service. Service connection for this condition is granted.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents, including Agent Orange. The medical opinion provided supports a link between the Veteran's pancreatic cancer and his in-service herbicide agent exposure.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected carcinoma of the pancreas, which is considered a direct result of in-service exposure to burning fires and fumes. The Board found the evidence in equipoise regarding this claim.
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