The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for the cause of death and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 due to inextricability with the issue of service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The claims are intertwined as they both involve the Veteran's death, making it necessary to adjudicate them together.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple brain (intercerebral) tumors, Metastatic melanoma, Lung carcinoma (metastatic)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 12, 2018
- Citation
- 18110344
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 18110344.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to obtain an adequate opinion regarding the cause of death and its relation to service, including in-service dental treatment. The Veteran died from acute renal failure, metastatic melanoma, cerebral metastasis, or seizure disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and therefore DIC benefits are denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that ischemic heart disease and metastatic melanoma were related to his active duty service. The Board concluded that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents in-service, presumptively causing his ischemic heart disease, and also found a causal relationship between his sun exposure during service and his fatal melanoma.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of death and DIC benefits, finding that there was no evidence linking the Veteran’s death to his active service. The Board concluded that the cause of death (metastatic melanoma) was not related to any disability incurred or aggravated during service.
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