The Veteran's death was caused by sepsis, which the VA and private medical opinions suggest were related to his service-connected lung cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, and ischemic heart disease. The Board finds that these conditions contributed substantially or materially to cause the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: Service connection for the cause of death was granted based on presumptive exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam, which included lung cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, and ischemic heart disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Lung Cancer, Diabetes Mellitus Type II, Ischemic Heart Disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2016
- Citation
- 1600832
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 1600832.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II (DMII) as due to herbicide agent exposure, finding that he has not been diagnosed with DMII at any point during the period on appeal.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, lung cancer, was not related to his active duty service and therefore service connection for the cause of death is denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD, diabetes mellitus type II, and various peripheral neuropathies have been granted increased ratings. Effective August 16, 2023, the Veteran is now eligible for a TDIU rating and DEA benefits.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease was granted a 30% disability rating effective August 31, 2010. The condition manifested as cardiac hypertrophy and a workload of greater than 5.0 but less than 7.0 METs without congestive heart failure or LVEF of 50 percent or less.
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