The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease and chronic pulmonary disorder (claimed as bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, and spots on the lungs) is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicides in Vietnam. The effective date of this grant is July 9, 2009, the date of diagnosis of lung cancer.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's respiratory symptoms were initially attributed to non-malignant causes but later diagnosed as small cell carcinoma, which was service-connected based on presumptive exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease, chronic pulmonary disorder (claimed as bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, and spots on the lungs)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- December 5, 2011
- Citation
- 1144408
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 1144408.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and stroke as there was no evidence of herbicide agent exposure during service and the medical opinions were against a nexus to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease with myocardial infarction is granted on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty in Korea.
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