The Veteran's cause of death, pancreatic cancer, was not caused or contributed to by his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Board found that the diabetes did not contribute substantially or materially to the Veteran's death and that the pancreatic cancer is not otherwise causally related to active service.
The deciding factor: Pancreatic cancer was diagnosed after separation from service and is not considered a service-connected condition, nor does it have a causal relationship with the service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- Pancreatic Cancer, Diabetes Mellitus, Type II
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 26, 2018
- Citation
- 1826018
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 1826018.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
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The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his claims of service connection for PTSD, a rating increase for PTSD, and service connection for pancreatic cancer secondary to diabetes.
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- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for DIC benefits due to the Veteran's cause of death, finding that there was no prior pending claim and that the current grant of service connection for the cause of death is based on direct service connection rather than a presumption.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations and effective dates have been denied. The Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities are currently rated at 60 percent, 20 percent, and varying percentages respectively.
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