The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death due to new and material evidence, including an opinion linking the cause of death to herbicide exposure during active service. The Board also granted service connection for the cause of death based on a presumption that herbicide exposure may contribute to glioma pathogenesis.
The deciding factor: The oncologist opinion found it more likely than not that herbicides contributed to the Veteran's anaplastic astrocytoma, which was the cause of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- anaplastic astrocytoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 2, 2016
- Citation
- 1642239
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 1642239.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for anaplastic astrocytoma and brain cancer due to burn pits and fires exposure in Saudi Arabia was dismissed as the Notice of Disagreement was submitted more than one year after the initial denial.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his anaplastic astrocytoma was caused by presumed exposure to herbicide agents in service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to lack of evidence linking the Veteran's brain tumor, which developed after discharge from active duty, to his military service or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death is remanded for further development, including obtaining additional VA medical opinions to determine if his death was related to service.
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