The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be pneumonia due to or as a consequence of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (pancreatic cancer). The Board found service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death based on exposure to toxic chemicals from jet fuel during his active duty service, which contributed to the development of his pancreatic cancer.
The deciding factor: The Board found a nexus between the Veteran's active duty service and his cause of death due to exposure to toxic chemicals from jet fuel.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (pancreatic cancer), pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 29, 2018
- Citation
- 18115118
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 18115118.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 claims for service connection for pneumonia, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and asthma as causes of death. The evidence did not support finding that these conditions were related to his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and pneumonia due to insufficient evidence in the record. The Veteran's current diagnoses are not supported by the medical records provided.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that there was no evidence linking any of the immediate or contributing causes of his death to his period of active duty service. The Board also found that the PACT Act did not apply in this case as the Veteran served prior to the period when herbicide agents were presumed used.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle disability, chronic sinusitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia are remanded due to the need for additional development including VA examinations.
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