The veteran's death was caused by medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, which developed as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange during service in Vietnam. The Board finds that this exposure contributed substantially and materially to cause the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence supports the conclusion that the veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during service resulted in his medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, which caused his death.
- Claimed conditions
- medullary carcinoma of the thyroid
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2003
- Citation
- 0305062
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 680 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0305062.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected gastrointestinal disorder did not cause or contribute substantially to his death from medullary carcinoma of the thyroid with metastasis.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for medullary carcinoma of the thyroid is denied. The effective date will be set at March 23, 2007, as this was when the condition was first diagnosed and claimed.
- Granted
The veteran's death was caused by medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, which is presumed to be related to his exposure to Agent Orange during service. The claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 is moot as a result.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
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