The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to a fatal metastatic adenocarcinoma of the liver, finding that it was not related to military service or herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show a nexus between the Veteran’s service-connected conditions and his fatal cancer, nor could any other inservice exposures be linked to the cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic adenocarcinoma of the liver
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 10, 2018
- Citation
- 18133441
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 18133441.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cancer was caused by his exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's esophageal cancer with metastatic liver cancer was denied service connection as it is not related to his military service, including exposure to herbicides.
- Whole decision: Denied
The VA medical opinion concluded that the cause of death (hepatic failure, metastatic adenocarcinoma of the liver, and metastatic colon cancer) is not related to service or any presumptive exposure to herbicides.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was attributed to liver and colon cancer, presumed to be caused by his exposure to herbicides during service. The appeal is remanded for a VA medical opinion on the etiology of these cancers.
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