Lung cancer Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete records and need for a VA medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the veteran served in Vietnam during his service on USS Mahan (DLG 11). The appellant must provide any evidence showing that the veteran was ever in Vietnam for any reason, including letters or photographs of the veteran in Vietnam. The RO will attempt to obtain the veteran's service personnel records and cruise books for the period December 1962 to June 1968.

The Board found that the veteran's cause of death, adult respiratory distress syndrome, was not caused or aggravated by his service. The significant contributing condition, lung cancer, also did not have a direct link to his service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing VCAA notice.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cause of death, chronic obstructive lung disease, is service-connected as it was related to his military service.

The appellant is seeking service connection for lung cancer and prostate cancer, which he claims are related to exposure to carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethylene during his military service. The VA has ordered additional development of the claim, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and an opinion on whether the prostate cancer is related to in-service exposure.

The veteran's cause of death was lung cancer due to tobacco abuse. The appellant is seeking service connection for the cause of death and DIC under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, claiming exposure to diesel fuel and fumes during service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral cataracts, skin cancer, lupus erythematosus, renal cell carcinoma, and lung cancer, all claimed as secondary to exposure to ionizing radiation. The claim of increased evaluation for coronary artery disease with hypertension was granted but is no longer in appellate status.

The veteran's death was due to lung cancer, which the VA determined was related to tobacco use in service. The appellant sought accrued benefits based on a claim for service connection for mustard gas exposure but did not have a pending claim at the time of her husband's death.

The Board granted DIC benefits based on a liberalizing change in VA regulations and application of the provisions for presumptive service connection due to exposure to Agent Orange. The effective date is set as September 1, 1984.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a medical opinion from a VA specialist regarding whether the veteran's lung cancer is related to service exposure to Agent Orange. The appellant should be given an opportunity to request another hearing if she desires one.

The Board denied the appellant's application to reopen her claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding no new and material evidence presented.

The Board is remanding the case to obtain service records showing if the veteran served in Vietnam, as lung cancer would be presumed service-connected based on herbicide exposure. The claim for service connection for the cause of death will also be reviewed.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer and related conditions were not incurred in or aggravated by his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with VCAA, and the veteran will be notified of further action required.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and seeking opinions on whether the veteran's death was caused or contributed to by service-connected conditions.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that the veteran's death was not caused by any event in service or his service-connected anxiety disorder.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected below-the-knee amputation contributed to his death due to coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus, which were exacerbated by lack of exercise caused by the amputation.

The appellant is seeking service connection for the cause of her husband's death, which was attributed to lung cancer. The VA is required to obtain additional medical records and provide proper VCAA notice in order to determine if there is a relationship between the veteran's x-ray therapy during service and his fatal lung cancer.

The Board has determined that the veteran's lung cancer may be presumed to have been incurred in service due to exposure to Agent Orange, and thus service connection is granted.