The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his metastases to lung and bone due to cholangiocarcinoma was caused by herbicide agent exposure during service. The Board also found that his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II may have contributed to his death.
The deciding factor: The private physician concluded that the Veteran’s in-service exposure to dioxin from Agent Orange likely resulted in a loss of protein p53, which would have otherwise suppressed bile duct tumors formed in his liver. The Board found this opinion credible and granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- metastases to lung, metastases to bone, cholangiocarcinoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19157879
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 19157879.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cholangiocarcinoma is related to his military service, specifically exposure to Agent Orange during service in Vietnam. After considering all evidence and resolving all doubts in favor of the Veteran, the Board granted service connection for cholangiocarcinoma.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death is due to cholangiocarcinoma, which was diagnosed in 1988 and presumed to be caused by herbicide exposure during service. The appellant filed a DIC application on November 27, 1989, and the claim was granted with an effective date of November 27, 1989.
- Granted
The Board has granted the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil was related to his military service at Camp Lejeune and caused his death.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for colitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and cholangiocarcinoma as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected vitiligo.
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