The Veteran's cause of death was attributed to pancreatic cancer, with multiple sclerosis contributing. The Board found no service connection for either condition due to lack of evidence and denied the claim.
The deciding factor: Service connection could not be established as there was no in-service diagnosis or onset of symptoms related to pancreatic cancer or multiple sclerosis, and the conditions developed long after separation.
- Claimed conditions
- Pancreatic cancer, Multiple sclerosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19164767
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 19164767.
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 claim for service connection for multiple sclerosis to correct a duty to assist error in obtaining relevant private treatment records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his pancreatic cancer was related to herbicide exposure during his service in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation under 38 U.S.C.� 1318, Survivors Pension, and service connection for the Veteran's cause of death.
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