The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to insufficient evidence linking the cause of death (lung cancer) to a service-connected condition or nicotine dependence linked to service.
The deciding factor: There was no competent medical evidence establishing that the cause of the veteran's death was secondary to nicotine dependence causally linked to his period of active service, or directly linked to in-service tobacco use or to a service-connected disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Lung Cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 16, 2000
- Citation
- 0016029
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 0016029.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board determined that the reduction in rating from 100 percent to 30 percent for service-connected lung cancer was proper, and restoration of the 100 percent rating is not warranted. The criteria for entitlement to special monthly compensation based on housebound status have also not been met.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bladder cancer, and lung cancer as secondary to the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of August 26, 2010 for the award of a 30 percent evaluation for COPD, asbestosis, and lung cancer.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for increased disability evaluations and effective dates, as well as dismissed the claims related to lung cancer and SMC on housebound status.
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