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
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19164767
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,569 · Granted: 26% (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 19164767.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death from pancreatic cancer may be service-connected due to environmental exposures in service, and thus remands for a medical opinion on this issue. The DIC benefits claim is also remanded.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to pancreatic cancer, finding that it was caused by herbicide agent exposure and the service-connected diabetes mellitus. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the appellant.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran is granted effective dates for awards of SMC at various rates, with the earliest being December 13, 2023. The SMC is awarded based on his service-connected conditions and their impact on his daily life.
- Whole decision: 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.
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