The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death due to lack of evidence linking it to service or a service-connected disability. The claim for service-connected burial benefits was also denied as there were no service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The most probative evidence did not link the Veteran’s death to service or a service-connected disability, and thus service connection could not be established.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19159996
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 19159996.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for an adequate medical opinion to address whether the Veteran's principal causes of death were related to his service, specifically focusing on sun exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cause of death was metastatic cancer, but the Board has remanded to determine if it is at least as likely as not related to service or VA care. The claim for benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 also remains pending.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cause of death is being remanded for a VA medical opinion to determine if his bladder cancer, which may be related to Agent Orange exposure during service, contributed to his death.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, cardio-respiratory failure with metastatic cancer, is not service connected as there is no evidence linking the cause of death to his active service or any service-connected conditions.
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