The Board found it plausible that the Veteran was exposed to asbestos in service, but concluded that his lung cancer was not related to this exposure. The VA examiner's opinion is needed to clarify whether the lung cancer was related to any possible in-service asbestos exposure.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner needs to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's small cell lung carcinoma was at least in part related to his military service, including any presumed exposure to asbestos.
- Claimed conditions
- small cell lung carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 21, 2009
- Citation
- 0931456
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 0931456.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized oncology medical treatment provided from January 2011 to April 2011 by Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton, Washington as it was not authorized by VA and was not emergent.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be due to small cell lung cancer, which is presumed service-connected based on exposure to herbicides during his Vietnam service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining a medical opinion on whether the veteran's asbestos exposure during service was a contributory cause of his lung cancer and subsequent death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was not related to his military service or exposure to herbicides.
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