The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's cause of death (metastatic gastric cancer) is attributable to his presumed exposure to herbicides. Therefore, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
The deciding factor: The private medical opinions suggest a relationship between exposure to herbicides and the development of metastatic gastric cancer, which was found by the VHA opinion to be associated with herbicide exposure based on epidemiologic evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic gastric cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 21, 2012
- Citation
- 1221607
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 1221607.
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 Veteran's cause of death is due to diffuse bilateral pneumonia, which was found to be caused by exposure to herbicide agents in Iraq. The gastrointestinal cancer that led to his death is presumed to have been caused by the same exposure. Therefore, service connection for the cause of death is granted.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, metastatic gastric cancer, was related to his active-duty service at Camp Lejeune. The benefit of doubt has been applied in favor of the claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded two issues: service connection for metastatic gastric cancer and the cause of death. The Veteran's claims are being returned to VA for additional development, including obtaining medical records and completing a Toxic Exposure Risk Activity (TERA) memorandum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for metastatic gastric cancer and cause of death due to metastatic gastric cancer, as these issues are intertwined with each other. The claims will be addressed again after obtaining relevant medical records and providing an addendum opinion.
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