The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for service connection of kidney cancer and liver cancer, finding that no formal or informal claims were filed prior to February 12, 2025.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not contain any unadjudicated formal claim of service connection for kidney cancer and liver cancer prior to February 12, 2025, nor was there any communication in the record that could be considered an informal claim for VA compensation for these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- right lower renal pole mass (kidney cancer), liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2026
- Citation
- A26015617
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 A26015617.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of liver cancer has been dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for intestinal cancer, liver cancer, and a liver biopsy surgical scar as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected intestinal cancer.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hepatocellular carcinoma, which is secondary to hepatitis C, has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for liver cancer and an increased rating for irritable bowel syndrome has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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