Lung cancer decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasoning and lack of a medical opinion regarding the cause of death. The VA needs to obtain additional medical opinions on the nature and etiology of the Veteran's lung cancer, its connection to glioblastoma, and whether service-connected disabilities contributed to his death.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to verify whether the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents while stationed at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, which may have contributed to his lung cancer and death.

The Board denied service connection for lung cancer and prostate cancer, finding no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service or exposure to herbicides. The cause of death was attributed to pneumonia and metastatic renal cell cancer (metastatic to lungs).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for coronary artery disease and residuals of lung cancer due to insufficient evidence regarding his exposure to herbicides during service. The Veteran must provide additional information about his alleged exposure in Vietnam.

The appellant seeks service connection for the Veteran’s cause of death. The RO denied her claim finding no evidence that the Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange or was at or near the base perimeter.

The Veteran's lung disability, which includes both service-connected lung cancer and non-service-connected fibrosis, has been rated at a 60 percent initial disability rating since October 1, 2017.

The Board denied service connection for lung cancer and cause of death due to the Veteran's lung cancer, which was not related to his time in service or exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's cause of death is being remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of his congestive heart failure and whether it was caused by military service.

The Veteran's claims for prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, and lung cancer were granted with effective dates of October 15, 2013, November 20, 2013, and not earlier than the date entitlement arose respectively. The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for lung cancer was denied.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's lung cancer may be related to radiation exposure during service, but needs more information from his VA oncologist and medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death may be related to military service, but needs further evidence to confirm if he served in Vietnam and was exposed to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's lung cancer, including lung cancer with COPD, is service-connected for accrued benefits purposes. The cause of the Veteran's death was metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, which is also service-connected.

The Veteran's cause of death was listed as lung cancer, with scleroderma and tobacco use also contributing to his death. The Board found that the Veteran's lung cancer and scleroderma were not related to his service at Camp Lejeune due to lack of evidence and conflicting medical opinions.

Coronary artery disease was granted service connection effective July 30, 2012.,Lung cancer was granted service connection effective June 21, 2012.

The Veteran's Parkinson's disease claim is denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis prior to his death.,The Veteran's lung cancer claim is granted as it is presumed related to herbicide exposure during service.,The cause of the Veteran's death, metastatic small cell lung cancer, is found to be service-connected.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable evaluation for non-small cell lung cancer and an evaluation in excess of 20 percent disabling for service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his causes of death to his military service or presumed herbicide exposure.

The Board denied service connection for lung cancer and type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as sleep disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran's claims were not supported by evidence of a nexus to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, and lung cancer were denied as there was no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or other causative factors.

The Veteran's lung cancer and shoulder conditions are remanded for further development, including obtaining records of possible herbicide exposure during service. The PTSD claim is also remanded for a more contemporaneous examination.