The Board denied DIC benefits based on service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to lack of evidence linking his pancreatic cancer and hyperlipidemia to his military service.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence showing that the Veteran’s pancreatic cancer or hyperlipidemia were related to his military service, as there is no indication of exposure to herbicide agents during service and no medical opinion supporting a direct link between service and death.
- Claimed conditions
- Pancreatic cancer, Hyperlipidemia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2018
- Citation
- 18151968
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 18151968.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death from pancreatic cancer may be service-connected due to environmental exposures in service, and thus remands for a medical opinion on this issue. The DIC benefits claim is also remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to pancreatic cancer, finding that it was caused by herbicide agent exposure and the service-connected diabetes mellitus. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the appellant.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance of another person or housebound status, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cause of death is being remanded due to a duty to assist error that occurred prior to the rating decision on appeal. The Board must obtain additional medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's bladder cancer, which was service-connected as a result of contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune, contributed substantially or materially to his cause of death.
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