The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by his long-term smoking habit, which began during service and contributed to his lung cancer. Service connection for the cause of death is granted.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence supports a finding that the veteran's smoking in service substantially contributed to his lung cancer, leading to his death from metastatic brain cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic cancer of the brain, small cell carcinoma of the lung
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2003
- Citation
- 0328400
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 0328400.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to herbicide exposure during his active service in Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA opinions obtained on remand are deficient and requires additional clarification regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right arm intention tremor. The claim is therefore being returned to obtain further medical opinions.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of metastatic cancer of the brain, finding that there was no formal or informal claim prior to July 26, 2019. The effective date assigned is the date of receipt of the Veteran's intent to file a claim.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for lung cancer on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents while serving in the territorial waters of Vietnam.
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