The Board will review the claims for service connection for cause of death and DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 based on all available evidence, including new medical records from the Danville VA Medical Center.
The deciding factor: The Board needs to obtain a VA medical opinion regarding the extent to which the Veteran's prostate cancer and/or diabetes contributed to his death from congestive heart failure.
- Claimed conditions
- Prostate cancer, Diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 11, 2015
- Citation
- 1539021
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 1539021.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease is rated at 100% effective October 25, 2024. His prostate cancer residuals are rated at 60% effective October 25, 2024.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance travel expenses incurred on June 17, 2025 due to an emergency heart attack. The ambulance service was provided by a volunteer organization and later intercepted by a higher-tier EMT company.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and prostate cancer are granted service connection, with the latter requiring a VA examination to address exposure to burn pits.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss in the right ear has been denied. The Board found that there is no current diagnosis of right ear hearing loss and thus, cannot establish a link to service. For prostate cancer, the Veteran's claim is remanded as VA did not provide an opinion regarding whether his condition may be related to service due to toxic exposure.
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