The Board found that the primary cause of death was renal cell carcinoma, not lung cancer. The veteran's service connection for lung cancer is denied due to lack of evidence showing a primary site in the lungs.
The deciding factor: Competent medical evidence supports that the primary site of the cancer was in the left kidney and not in the lungs.
- Claimed conditions
- Renal cell carcinoma, Lung cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 15, 2006
- Citation
- 0629348
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,699 · Granted: 17% (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 0629348.
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 Veteran's headache disability is granted as service-connected. The left foot condition and lung cancer claims are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his lung cancer and military service. The Board also found insufficient evidence to establish service connection for lung cancer.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death. The case is remanded for a VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's fatal renal cancer, including whether it was caused by exposure to Agent Orange or secondary to his service-connected prostate cancer.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cause of death is being remanded due to a duty to assist error that occurred prior to the rating decision on appeal. The Board must obtain additional medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's bladder cancer, which was service-connected as a result of contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune, contributed substantially or materially to his cause of death.
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