The Board found that the Veteran's respiratory causes of death (respiratory failure, pneumonia, lung cancer, and COPD) are not service-connected. The in-service exposure to asbestos is considered but does not meet the criteria for service connection.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not have any service-connected disabilities at the time of his death, and there was no evidence that his respiratory conditions were caused or aggravated by service, including confirmed in-service asbestos exposure as a molder.
- Claimed conditions
- Respiratory Failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 13, 2013
- Citation
- 1308529
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 1308529.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his cause of death, finding insufficient evidence to establish full-body exposure to mustard gas during service and no medical link between the Veteran's causes of death and mustard gas exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) based on service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death due to multiple myeloma, coronary artery disease, acute myocardial infarction, and respiratory failure. The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and the VA treatment from May 30 to June 6, 2013 did not cause his additional disabilities. The Board found no reasonable possibility that obtaining a medical opinion would aid in substantiating the claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's in-service exposure to mustard gas, which may be related to his cause of death. The Appellant contends that the Veteran was exposed to mustard gas during service and this exposure is linked to his multiple myeloma.
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