The cause of the veteran's death was due to cardiopulmonary arrest, with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue as an underlying cause. The Board finds that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: New medical records have provided evidence linking Agent Orange exposure to the veteran's squamous cell carcinoma, which was listed on his death certificate as a contributing factor to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiopulmonary arrest, metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, post traumatic stress disorder, peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 16, 2008
- Citation
- 0831618
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 0831618.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's death was linked to his service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's spouse is seeking to be substituted as the appellant for claims of service connection filed by the Veteran in August 2017. The AOJ has not yet determined whether she meets the requirements to substitute, and this issue must be remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that there was no evidence linking any of the immediate or contributing causes of his death to his period of active duty service. The Board also found that the PACT Act did not apply in this case as the Veteran served prior to the period when herbicide agents were presumed used.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and peripheral neuropathy due to a duty to assist error in failing to obtain relevant exposure information. The AOJ is instructed to conduct additional development as outlined in the decision.
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