The Board found that the cause of death was metastatic adenocarcinoma, but did not find service connection for the bronchiectasis as a contributing factor. The total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability claim is denied.
The deciding factor: The VA medical expert opined that there was no direct causal relationship between the veteran's service-connected bronchiectasis and his adenocarcinoma, but acknowledged that chronic diffuse bronchiectasis could have adversely influenced the outcome of the patient’s illness.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic adenocarcinoma of unknown primary, bronchiectasis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2000
- Citation
- 0001086
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 0001086.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a lung disability, to include bronchiectasis, based on herbicide agent exposure due to the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bronchiectasis and allergic rhinitis, finding no evidence of a causal relationship between the in-service toxic exposures and the current conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a respiratory disability, diagnosed as adenocarcinoma of the lung, atelectasis, and bronchiectasis, to obtain an updated TERA memorandum and new VA opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a new VA medical opinion to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's lung disability, considering both direct service connection and toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) theories.
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