The Board has granted an effective date of February 1, 2013 for the award of DIC based on service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death. The decision is based on the Veteran's exposure to contaminated water in Vietnam and his diagnosis with cholangiocarcinoma.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's fatal cancer was related to his military service due to his consumption of potentially contaminated water in Vietnam, which increased his risk of developing cholangiocarcinoma. The effective date is set at the first day of the month following the Veteran's death as per VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- cholangiocarcinoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19178857
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 granted an effective date of November 30, 2016, but not earlier, for the award of service connection for cholangiocarcinoma.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, cholangiocarcinoma, based on evidence supporting a direct relationship between the disease and the Veteran's in-service exposure to Agent Orange.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for a survivor's pension was denied due to the appellant's countable income exceeding the maximum annual pension rate. The Board also remanded the issue of service connection for cause of death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence that his cholangiocarcinoma was related to his military service or any service-connected condition.
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