The Veteran's cause of death was metastatic breast cancer, which is not service-connected. The Veteran did not have any pending claims at the time of his death and was in receipt of non-service-connected pension benefits. The Board found that there is no evidence linking the Veteran’s breast cancer to his military service or exposure to herbicides. As a result, the claim for service connection for the cause of death was denied. For the death pension claim, the appellant's income exceeded the maximum allowable pension rate (MAPR).
The deciding factor: The preponderance of evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran’s breast cancer was caused or contributed to by his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic breast cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 7, 2018
- Citation
- 18109316
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 18109316.
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: Dismissed
The appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. No service connection decisions have been made for any of the listed conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic breast cancer, is not related to his service or exposure to herbicide agents. The Board denied the claim for service connection.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, metastatic breast cancer, finding that there was no evidence linking the condition to in-service herbicide exposure. The Board also found that the evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's exposure to carcinogens/dioxins and his manifestation of breast cancer many years after service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was listed as metastatic breast cancer. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding that this condition is related to service, including exposure to herbicide agents like Agent Orange.
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