Lung cancer decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and dismissed the DIC benefits claim as moot due to the grant of service connection.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to determine if the Veteran's cause of death was related to his service, including herbicide agent exposure at Camp Lejeune. The examiner will assess whether pulmonary fibrosis and/or COPD are related to service and whether they contributed to the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death-causing lung cancer is presumed to be due to his in-service herbicide exposure, and thus service connection for the cause of death is granted.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the cause of death.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, concluding that lung cancer was not related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and that smoking was a significant contributing factor.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to lung cancer, finding that it was not related to service or a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's death was not service-connected, and his claims for pancreatic cancer and lung cancer were also denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to military service.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction, but granted an effective date of October 15, 2013 for lung cancer.,Prostate cancer was granted service connection on a presumptive basis due to herbicide exposure. Erectile dysfunction was granted as secondary to prostate cancer.

The Board has granted service connection for thyroid cancer and lung cancer, finding that the current diagnoses are related to herbicide agent exposure during service. The decision is based on direct service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for lung cancer, which is now in effect. The claim of service connection for sleep apnea was dismissed due to the appellant's withdrawal. DIC benefits have been granted based on the Veteran's cause of death being related to his service-connected lung cancer.

The Board is remanding the case to determine if the Veteran was exposed to toxic herbicides and, if so, whether his lung cancer was related to such exposure and contributed to his death.

The Veteran's lung cancer residuals and related respiratory issues are rated at 30 percent prior to December 18, 2015. The Board has remanded for further evaluation of the Veteran's right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy and polycythemia vera.

The Board has dismissed all appeals due to the appellant's request to withdraw her pending appeals.

The Board has remanded the DIC and DEA benefits claims due to a lack of clarity regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam. The appellant must provide additional evidence to support her claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate duty-to-assist and medical opinions, requiring further investigation into the Veteran's asbestos exposure during service and its relation to his current lung cancer.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for lung cancer and heart condition due to exposure to herbicides. Additional development is needed, including a VA examination to determine if the conditions are related to active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for lung cancer, including as due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, finding that the evidence did not support a link between his military service and his current condition.

The claims for service connection for lung cancer, bladder cancer, and tremors of the extremities due to exposure to TCE are remanded. The claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is denied.

The Veteran's appeals regarding lung cancer service connection and reopening of gynecomastia and prostate cancer claims have been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has decided that the service connection for lung cancer needs further investigation due to potential asbestos exposure during service. The case is being sent back for appropriate development and an opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lung cancer.