The Board denied DIC benefits based on the cause of death, finding that the Veteran's lung cancer was not related to service and did not contribute to his death. The primary cause of death was cardiorespiratory arrest with seizure disorder as a contributing factor.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA examiners found no significant relationship between the Veteran’s lung cancer and the cause of death, or any other service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Seizure disorder, Lung cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2018
- Citation
- 18143047
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 18143047.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 claim for a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's liver, lung, brain, and bone cancers in relation to his service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Partly granted
The veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability from May 11, 2016, and the claim for an earlier effective date for special monthly compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) was denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities. The claims for myofascial pain syndrome and a seizure disorder were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to a rating in excess of 40 percent for a seizure disorder prior to January 22, 2019, for further action.
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