The Board found that the cause of death was not related to service-connected conditions, including Agent Orange exposure. Therefore, service connection for the cause of death is denied and eligibility for Dependent's Educational Assistance is also denied.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion established that the primary cancer (if present) was unrelated to service or Agent Orange exposure, while metastatic cancer developed from a smoking history rather than service.
- Claimed conditions
- metastasis cancer, lung cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2006
- Citation
- 0606916
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of December 12, 2023, for a 50 percent evaluation of bipolar disorder and remanded the other issues for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, including lung cancer and cardio-pulmonary arrest, to address in-service toxic exposures.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals for service connection for various conditions due to a lack of jurisdiction over the claims.
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