The Board has determined that the Veteran's pleural mesothelioma, which was listed as the immediate cause of death on his certificate, is related to his in-service asbestos exposure and grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's pleural mesothelioma, a type of cancer often resulting from asbestos exposure, was caused by his in-service asbestos exposure. The Board finds that reasonable doubt must be resolved in favor of the Appellant and grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.
- Claimed conditions
- pleural mesothelioma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 24, 2018
- Citation
- 18105255
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 18105255.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits based on service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, and survivor pension benefits due to insufficient evidence regarding toxic exposure risk activities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death due to pleural mesothelioma, finding that it was not incurred in or related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for peritoneal mesothelioma, pleural mesothelioma, asbestosis scarring, and COPD are denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for pleural mesothelioma and joint pain, finding no current diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma and attributing joint pain to known diagnoses. The claim was decided on the merits.
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