The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions and records. The Veteran's cause of death was cardiorespiratory arrest, but the Appellant contends that his disabilities (including prostate cancer, coronary vascular disease, COPD, claudication, pulmonary fibrosis, cardiomegaly, BPH, and renal insufficiency) were related to service, including as a result of exposure to herbicides. The Board will determine if these disabilities are subject to the presumption of service connection due to herbicide exposure and whether they contributed substantially or materially to the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The Board is seeking additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's disabilities and his cause of death, as well as their relation to service. The Appellant contends that these disabilities were related to service, including as a result of exposure to herbicides.
- Claimed conditions
- prostate cancer, coronary vascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), claudication, pulmonary fibrosis, cardiomegaly, benign prostatic hypertrophy/ hyperplasia, renal insufficiency
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 31, 2015
- Citation
- 1537134
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 1537134.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's respiratory disability, including asthma and COPD, is denied as service connection is not warranted due to the condition being solely attributed to smoking.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, bone cancer, and lymph node cancer has been granted. The prostate cancer is presumed due to herbicide agent exposure during service at RTAFB Takhli. Bone cancer is secondary to the service-connected prostate cancer. Lymph node cancer is also considered secondary to prostate cancer.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
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