The Veteran's claim for service connection for thymoma, due to Agent Orange exposure, was granted with a 100% disability rating effective October 30, 1998. However, the effective date remains unchanged as there is no earlier qualifying date found.
The deciding factor: Thymoma was considered presumptively service-connected due to herbicide exposure, but denied because it did not meet the criteria for a listed presumptive disease (lung cancer).
- Claimed conditions
- thymoma, tumors of the lung
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- May 6, 2014
- Citation
- 1420339
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 1420339.
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 has granted service connection for thymoma, thyroid nodule, Myasthenia gravis, splenic calcified granuloma, hepatic calcified granuloma, and calcified pleural granuloma, all of which are related to toxic environmental exposures during active naval service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection of thymoma and tumors/cysts of the liver, kidneys, and pancreas to obtain an addendum opinion addressing their relationship to in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for thymoma, bilateral shoulder arthritis, and chronic fatigue syndrome are granted due to the PACT Act presumption of exposure to environmental hazards. The Veteran is assigned a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for financial assistance in the purchase of one automobile or other conveyance and automobile adaptive equipment is remanded. The Board also requests an examination to assess the functional impairment attributable to his service-connected disabilities, including whether they limit his ability to use his left hand with a prosthetic.
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