The Board denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence that his cholangiocarcinoma was related to his military service or any service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided did not establish a causal link between the Veteran's cholangiocarcinoma and either his presumed exposure to herbicides in Vietnam or his laryngeal cancer, and it was determined that the cholangiocarcinoma was not aggravated by the laryngeal cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- cholangiocarcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2024
- Citation
- 24000258
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 an effective date of November 30, 2016, but not earlier, for the award of service connection for cholangiocarcinoma.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, cholangiocarcinoma, based on evidence supporting a direct relationship between the disease and the Veteran's in-service exposure to Agent Orange.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for a survivor's pension was denied due to the appellant's countable income exceeding the maximum annual pension rate. The Board also remanded the issue of service connection for cause of death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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