The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking duodenal adenocarcinoma to his active service or any service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: Multiple medical opinions found no causal link between the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents and his development of duodenal adenocarcinoma, which is a necessary element for service connection under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- duodenal adenocarcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2022
- Citation
- 22015836
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 22015836.
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: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his cause of death, finding that there was no evidence linking his duodenal cancer to service or any presumptive conditions. The Board also found that there was insufficient evidence to establish direct service connection due to chemical exposure in service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the remand directives have not been substantially complied with and another remand is necessary to obtain an adequate VA medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's cause of death, including whether it was due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for an addendum medical opinion regarding the likely etiology of the Veteran's duodenal cancer, which caused his death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's duodenal adenocarcinoma and chronic fatigue syndrome are denied as service connection due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his active service, specifically exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
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