Service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and entitlement to service-connected burial benefits are granted based on the link between liver adenocarcinoma and in-service toxic exposure.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least approximately balanced as to whether the Veteran's in-service TERA caused his liver adenocarcinoma, and resolving any doubts in the appellant's favor, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is appropriate.
- Claimed conditions
- Adenocarcinoma of the liver
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 12, 2025
- Citation
- 25013893
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 25013893.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was cardio-respiratory failure due to metastatic adenocarcinoma of the liver. The VA medical opinions determined that his cancer and death were not related to his military service, including presumed exposure to herbicide agents like Agent Orange.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an unclear VA examiner's report regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death is related to service or pre-service conditions, specifically liver cancer and lung metastasis.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, adenocarcinoma of the liver, is presumed to have been incurred in service due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. As a result, the Board grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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