The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic cancer of the pancreas, was not found to be related to his military service or a service-connected condition. The Board determined that there is no evidence linking the pancreatic cancer to service or any service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence establishing a link between the Veteran's service, including presumed herbicide exposure, and his cause of death from metastatic cancer of the pancreas.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic cancer of the pancreas
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2018
- Citation
- 1802094
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 1802094.
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 has determined that the Veteran's metastatic cancer of the pancreas did not manifest in service or for many years thereafter, and is unrelated to Agent Orange exposure. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran did not have diabetes mellitus type II during service or within one year of separation. The issue of entitlement to service connection for metastatic cancer of the pancreas is remanded as there are questions regarding its etiology and whether it may be related to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Board found that a service-connected disability did not cause or contribute substantially to the veteran's death, and that he was unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development to address whether the veteran's metastatic cancer was due to mustard gas exposure in service and if his PTSD contributed to the cause of death.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.