The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to a lack of evidence linking his bladder cancer to his in-service exposure to Agent Orange. The primary cause was attributed to his long history of smoking, which is a known risk factor for bladder cancer.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s smoking history was more likely the cause of his bladder cancer than his in-service exposure to Agent Orange.
- Claimed conditions
- Bladder cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19195240
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 19195240.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bladder cancer, diabetes mellitus, type 2, and an acquired psychiatric disability (unspecified depressive disorder), but denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for bladder cancer as there was no evidence of voiding dysfunction or renal dysfunction, and the GFR was over 90.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for coronary artery disease, service connection for bladder cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of February 27, 2017, for the award of special monthly compensation (SMC) based on loss of use of creative organ.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.