The Veteran's cause of death was due to metastatic cancer, with the primary cancer being bladder cancer. The Board found that this cancer was caused by exposure to herbicides during service.
The deciding factor: Bladder cancer was determined to be as likely as not due to Agent Orange exposure and had metastasized to the abdomen causing death.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic cancer to the abdomen, bladder cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20003985
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20003985.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's prostate and bladder cancer rating was reduced from 100% to 40%, effective December 1, 2025. The Veteran withdrew his appeal at a Board hearing held in April 2026.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus II, ischemic heart disease, and bladder cancer due to lack of evidence supporting herbicide exposure during service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment prior to January 31, 2023.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since June 2, 2017. The Board has decided that he is entitled to a TDIU effective from that date.
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