The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his bronchogenic carcinoma and chronic obstructive lung disease did not have their onset during service or for many years thereafter and were not otherwise related to any in-service disease, event, or injury.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing a direct link between the Veteran’s active service and his cause of death (bronchogenic carcinoma and chronic obstructive lung disease).
- Claimed conditions
- bronchogenic carcinoma, chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2014
- Citation
- 1454267
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1454267.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information about the Veteran's service in Vietnam. They need to obtain his personnel records and determine if he served on any ships within the 12 nautical mile territorial waters of Vietnam or otherwise served in the Republic of Vietnam.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for initial compensable disability ratings for bronchogenic carcinoma and surgical scars are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a DRO hearing.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death and denied the claim for nonservice-connected death pension due to lack of qualifying service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his bronchogenic carcinoma to his military service. The Board considered various medical opinions and noted that the most competent evidence attributed the cancer to the Veteran's history of smoking.
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