The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his pancreatic cancer did not have its onset in service and was not otherwise causally related to his military service or presumed exposure to herbicides.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion indicated no nexus between the Veteran's pancreatic cancer and presumed exposure to herbicides, as supported by large studies showing no higher prevalence of pancreatic cancer among Vietnam Veterans. The evidence did not establish a causal connection in this case.
- Claimed conditions
- Metastatic pancreatic cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 6, 2021
- Citation
- 21062036
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 appeal for entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death and accrued benefits was denied due to a lack of evidence supporting the claim.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of death, finding that the Veteran's metastatic pancreatic cancer was related to his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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