The Veteran's death was not determined to be due to a service-connected disability, including those presumed due to herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The cause of the Veteran's death (aspiration pneumonia) and underlying causes (head and neck cancer) were not found to be related to his service-connected disabilities or any other service-related conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, papillary carcinoma of the thyroid, squamous cell carcinoma of the high esophagus, insomnia, an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD))
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 29, 2017
- Citation
- 1754520
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 1754520.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and need for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
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