The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to kidney cancer, finding that it was not caused by or related to his in-service exposure to herbicides (Agent Orange) or a service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion concluded that the Veteran’s kidney cancer was more likely than not unrelated to his in-service herbicide exposure and smoking history, which is considered the primary cause of his disease.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic renal cell carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19106403
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted entitlement to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) based on service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as his metastatic renal cell carcinoma was related to toxic exposure risk activity in service.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, respiratory failure due to metastatic renal cell carcinoma, is granted as service connection for the cause of death is established based on herbicide agent exposure during his Vietnam service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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