The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and thus the claim for service connection for the cause of death is denied.,The Veteran did not meet the criteria for burial benefits and a plot allowance as his death was not due to a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence linking the Veteran's pancreatic cancer to his active duty service, including presumed exposure to herbicides. The Board found that the preponderance of the evidence did not support the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- disseminated intravascular coagulation, adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (pancreatic cancer), hypotension, acute renal failure/shock liver
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20043521
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 20043521.
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.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis for any of the claimed conditions and thus, service connection is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
Service connection for hypothyroidism and parkinsonism is granted due to exposure to herbicides. Service connection for PAF, hypotension, and REM behavior disorder is remanded as there is no presumptive association.
- Dismissed
The claim for entitlement to service connection for hypotension was dismissed, and the issue of entitlement to service connection for hypertensive cardiovascular disease was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and a new opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death.
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