The Veteran's cause of death, metabolic encephalopathy, was not related to his military service and there is no evidence linking it to exposure to herbicides. The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: There is no probative evidence showing that the Veteran’s service played any part in his death or that metabolic encephalopathy was caused by exposure to herbicides.
- Claimed conditions
- metabolic encephalopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2021
- Citation
- 21006075
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21006075.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for the cause of death and burial benefits due to a lack of medical opinion regarding the Veteran's exposure at Camp Lejeune, which could impact his eligibility for these benefits.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error in not obtaining a medical opinion regarding whether there is a relationship between the Veteran's cause of death, metabolic encephalopathy, and his in-service history of abnormal glucose level or diabetes.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic esophageal cancer with metabolic encephalopathy, is not related to his military service and therefore the claim for service connection for the cause of death is denied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to uncertainty about whether the Veteran's metabolic encephalopathy is related to his service, including exposure to herbicides and other chemicals/exposures identified in the claims file.
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