The Veteran's cause of death is related to exposure to herbicide agents (Agent Orange) during his service on ships in the Republic of Vietnam.,The Veteran's cause of death may be due to ionizing radiation exposure while serving on the U.S.S. Missouri and U.S.S. New Jersey.,The Veteran's cause of death might be linked to mercury exposure during his service, as suggested by medical literature and personal accounts.,The Veteran's cause of death could potentially be attributed to an undiagnosed illness or a medically unexplained multisymptom illness (MUCMI) due to his Gulf War Service.
The deciding factor: There is insufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam, as records do not specify the geographic locations of his ships at all times.,Records are needed to confirm exposure to ionizing radiation and a dose estimate should be obtained based on these records.,Medical literature suggests a possible link between mercury exposure and pancreatic cancer. An opinion is required to determine if this link exists.,The Veteran served in the Gulf War, which may have contributed to his cause of death. A determination needs to be made regarding whether his symptoms are due to an undiagnosed illness or MUCMI.
- Claimed conditions
- Pancreatic cancer, Bright yellow appearance, Swelling, Edema of the stomach, Loss of appetite, Fatigue
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 22, 2021
- Citation
- 21024131
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 21024131.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating of 100 percent is not warranted.,Service connection for a back disability, fatigue, and sleep apnea are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for OSA as secondary to his service-connected restrictive lung disease has been granted.,The issue of entitlement to service connection for fatigue is being remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is related to combat in service and granted service connection.,The Veteran does not have hypertension for VA purposes, thus denial of service connection.,The Veteran's fatigue is attributed to his service-connected fibromyalgia, obstructive sleep apnea, and PTSD, resulting in denial of service connection.,Service connection for hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are dismissed due to the Veteran explicitly withdrawing his appeal.,Service connection for a disability manifesting in memory loss other than an acquired psychological disorder is denied as it overlaps with PTSD.,Service connection for myofascial pain syndrome is denied as it overlaps with fibromyalgia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death from pancreatic cancer may be service-connected due to environmental exposures in service, and thus remands for a medical opinion on this issue. The DIC benefits claim is also remanded.
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