The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by his terminal cancer, which is as likely as not related to exposure to herbicides during service in the Gulf War. As a result, the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is granted.
The deciding factor: Dr. Rock concluded that the veteran's exposure to an herbicidal agent caused his lung cancer, which metastasized into his terminal cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic head and neck cancer
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2007
- Citation
- 0733249
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0733249.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his metastatic head and neck cancer was not related to service or other causes.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic head and neck cancer, is found to be related to his exposure to herbicides in service. Service connection for the cause of death is granted.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death is granted as the fatal coronary artery disease is presumed to be related to his in-service herbicide exposure, and he had service in Vietnam.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's metastatic head and neck cancer, which was diagnosed as small cell-like but not small cell, is presumed to have originated from his in-service exposure to Agent Orange. The Board granted service connection for this condition.
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