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 deciding factor: Dr. DiCastro provided a review of the veteran's military service and evaluation for pulmonary symptoms in 1956, noting that no specific disease was found but the veteran had objective symptoms gradually occurring over years, linking the cause of death to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, Lung Cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 15, 2004
- Citation
- 0418973
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,458 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0418973.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, lung cancer, was not related to his active duty service and therefore service connection for the cause of death is denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim of service connection for GERD has been readjudicated due to the submission of relevant new evidence.,The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral eye condition, headaches, low back condition, lung cancer, and Parkinson's disease with tremors have also been readjudicated due to the submission of relevant new evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's eligibility for the VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) was remanded due to inadequate medical opinion and insufficient notice. The Board found that the Veteran required personal care services due to his chronic conditions, including lymphoma, congestive heart failure, lung cancer, and decreased mobility.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate rationale in a previous VA examination and missing records. The claim will be reconsidered with new evidence.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.