The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's chronic daily use of antiepileptic medications for his service-connected grand mal epilepsy aided or lent assistance in causing death, specifically prostate cancer. The Board finds that this meets the criteria for service connection for cause of death.
The deciding factor: The chronic daily use of antiepileptic medications, including Dilantin and phenobarbital, contributed to the development of prostate cancer which caused the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic prostate cancer, grand mal epilepsy
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 27, 2018
- Citation
- 1812066
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 1812066.
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 service connection for the Servicemember's cause of death, including ALS, myasthenia gravis, and metastatic prostate cancer, as they were not incurred during or related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation for service connection for metastatic prostate cancer, as well as the claim for service connection for cause of death due to a duty to assist error. The remand is necessary because the VA examiner did not address whether the Veteran's TCE exposure during service was related to his prostate cancer.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam, including Agent Orange. The decision is based on the presumption that the Veteran was exposed during his service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for her knee conditions and TDIU have been dismissed as she has withdrawn them. The Board finds that the Veteran is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to her service-connected disabilities from May 10, 2010.
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