The Veteran's death was not due to his own willful misconduct, but the cause of death (metastatic pancreatic carcinoma) is not service-connected. The Board has remanded for a medical opinion on whether exposure to Agent Orange during service may have contributed to the Veteran's cancer.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the cause of death was less likely as not due to service, primarily because pancreatic cancer is not listed as a presumptive condition related to Agent Orange exposure. However, they have ordered a new medical opinion to address this issue.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic pancreatic carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19145752
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,738 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19145752.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, finding that there was no evidence linking his pancreatic cancer to his military service or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his presumptive exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam contributed at least partially to his pancreatic cancer.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death was pneumonia due to metastatic pancreatic carcinoma. The Board found that the service-connected dysthymia substantially contributed to his fall and subdural hematoma, which ultimately led to his death.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to his diabetes mellitus, type II and ischemic heart disease (including diagnosed coronary artery disease, atherosclerotic heart disease, and myocardial infarctions), which are presumed to be related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. These conditions contributed to his untimely death.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.