The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death was due to metastatic small cell undifferentiated cancer, which is presumed to be caused by exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The private radiologist and IME provided conflicting opinions regarding the primary site of the Veteran's fatal cancer. The appellant's expert concluded it was more likely than not that the cause of death was due to prostate cancer, while the Board's independent medical expert opined against this conclusion.
- Claimed conditions
- Carcinoid tumor, Prostate cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 8, 2010
- Citation
- 1021190
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 1021190.
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 Board restored the Veteran's 100 percent disability rating for his service-connected prostate cancer, effective September 1, 2024.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a higher disability rating for PTSD and granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, while denying service connection for prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, and nuclear sclerosis and dry eye syndrome.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection and higher initial rating were dismissed due to concurrent election of review options.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a retrospective VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's Parkinson disease, prostate cancer, or OSA are related to his service.
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