The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that liver cancer and lung cancer were not related to service. The Board also found that presumptive service connection for liver cancer due to herbicide exposure was not applicable.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's primary cancer (liver cancer) metastasized to his lungs, making it impossible to establish presumptive service connection for the lung cancer. Additionally, liver cancer is not listed as a disease associated with herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- cardio-respiratory failure, adenocarcinoma of the liver
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19172024
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 19172024.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's PSC and ulcerative colitis were initially manifested during his active duty service.,His postsurgical changes from a total colectomy with ileoanal anastomosis was secondary to his ulcerative colitis.,His cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) was secondary to his PSC and ulcerative colitis.,His adenocarcinoma of the liver was secondary to his cholangiocarcinoma.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death is related to service, including exposure to herbicide agents. The issue will be reconsidered after further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for the cause of death and dependency and indemnity compensation due to new evidence received since the last denial. The Veteran's cause of death was attributed to complications from stage IV melanoma, which is presumed to have been caused by his in-service exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted service connection for lung cancer and adenocarcinoma of the liver with a 100% rating effective from December 13, 2011. The effective date for special monthly compensation based on need for aid and attendance is also set to this date.,Eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) under Chapter 35 of the Veterans Benefits Act was granted with an effective date of December 13, 2011.
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