The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death, adenocarcinoma with metastasis to the lungs, was not related to his military service or exposure to herbicides.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion stated that it was less likely than not that the in-service laryngeal polyps contributed to the direct cause of the Veteran's death from nasopharyngeal cancer and pulmonary metastasis.
- Claimed conditions
- Adenocarcinoma of the Nasopharynx and Palate with Pulmonary Metastasis, Respiratory Failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2016
- Citation
- 1600791
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1600791.
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: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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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