The Board denied service connection for bladder cancer, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's military service and his condition. The primary reason was the Veteran's extensive smoking history which is considered the single biggest risk factor for developing bladder cancer.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's extensive smoking history made it less likely than not that his bladder cancer was caused by his military service, including any herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Bladder cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20065813
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.
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