The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death was due to metastatic squamous cell carcinoma, which is presumed to be service-connected as a result of exposure to Agent Orange during military service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence established that the primary site of the Veteran's metastatic squamous cell carcinoma was likely the lung, and given his presumptive exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam, service connection for the cause of death is granted.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic squamous cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the lung
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 11, 2011
- Citation
- 1114124
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 1114124.
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 granted service connection for the veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, acknowledging that the evidence was at least in equipoise regarding the relationship between the veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and his current condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically regarding an inadequate medical opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. The AOJ is required to obtain an addendum medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's lung cancer is at least as likely as not caused by his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's metastatic squamous cell carcinoma, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to exposure to toxins/chemicals during his military service.,Service connection was also granted for the cause of death due to metastatic squamous cell carcinoma.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient employment information provided by the Veteran, and further development is needed to clarify dates of employment and request for employment information from American Airlines.
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