The veteran's death was caused by metastatic lung carcinoma, which the appellant contends is related to nicotine dependence acquired in service. The Board has requested a VA medical opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that the veteran's lung cancer and death were due to nicotine dependence acquired during his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that additional development was needed, including obtaining a VA medical opinion regarding the cause of the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic lung carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 11, 2005
- Citation
- 0507167
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 0507167.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death was not caused by or related to any disease or injury in service, and thus denied the claim for service connection for cause of death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of death, finding that the Veteran's service-connected pleural asbestosis materially contributed to his metastatic lung carcinoma.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by metastatic lung carcinoma, which is presumed to be associated with herbicide agent exposure. The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to in-service herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal link between the Veteran's service-connected pleural asbestosis and his death from metastatic lung carcinoma.
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