Lung cancer Board decisions

The Veteran died in 1984 from lung cancer. The appellant's claim for DIC benefits was denied initially and did not result in an appeal. Later, the appellant submitted a new claim based on liberalizing regulations that included respiratory cancers as presumptively service-connected due to exposure to herbicides. The RO granted this claim with an effective date of June 24, 1996. The appellant appealed for an earlier effective date. The Board found no legal basis to grant the requested earlier effective date.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to clarify the Veteran's cancer diagnoses and their relationship to his death, as well as to determine eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance benefits. The case will be remanded for these purposes.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and the need for additional examinations. The Veteran's claim is reopened based on new evidence, but service connection remains denied.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that no disability incurred in or aggravated by service caused or contributed to his death.

The Veteran's lung cancer was initially diagnosed on July 11, 2005. As the condition is presumptively associated with Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam, service connection for non-small cell lung cancer was granted effective from that date.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and Social Security Administration disability benefits records. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also referred to the appropriate department officials for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran does not have lung cancer and the Board denies a compensable rating for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a Travel Board hearing.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, lung cancer, and bladder cancer were denied as there was no evidence of a current disability or a link between the conditions and his military service. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a valid claim for these conditions due to the lack of proof of a current disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and the need for medical opinions regarding the relationship between service-connected conditions and the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the appellant's COPD, bilateral hearing loss, idiopathic peripheral neuropathy, and lung cancer are presumed to have been incurred due to exposure to chemical toxins and nuclear radiation during service.

The Veteran's cause of death was not caused by a service-connected disability, as his lung cancer developed many years after service and was not related to his active service or any service-connected conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's lung disability, including lung cancer and COPD, is not related to his service exposure to asbestos. Hearing loss and tinnitus were also denied as not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's lung cancer is not service-connected for accrued benefits due to the presumption of exposure to Agent Orange, and it did not cause his death.

The Veteran's cause of death is listed as lung cancer, which the appellant contends was caused by radiation exposure during service. The Board has ordered a dose assessment from the Department of the Navy to determine if the Veteran was exposed to radiation in service and whether it is at least as likely as not that his lung cancer resulted from such exposure.

The Veteran's cause of death was not related to service-connected conditions, and the Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to lack of evidence linking lung cancer to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for lung cancer and cause of death due to liver and pancreatic cancers, finding no evidence linking these conditions to his military service or presumed exposure to Agent Orange. The appellant was not granted accrued benefits as her claim was filed after the two-year period.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to address inconsistencies in the medical records regarding the cause of death and to obtain an opinion from a VA oncologist on whether lung cancer was the primary cancer that metastasized to the kidney.

The Veteran's lung cancer disability is currently rated at 60 percent, and he is seeking an increased rating. He also seeks a TDIU based on his unemployability due to the lung cancer.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations, treatment records, and consideration of new evidence.