The Board has determined that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during his service in Thailand and finds that his death was caused by these exposures. As a result, the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty service in Thailand was established based on credible evidence, including his MOS as an Inventory Management Supervisor and statements indicating he worked near the air base perimeter. The Board applied the presumption related to respiratory cancers and ischemic heart disease due to herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- cardio-pulmonary arrest, acute respiratory failure, aspirational pneumonia, metastatic small cell lung cancer with brain metastasis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2018
- Citation
- 18143504
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 18143504.
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 has remanded the claims for service connection for the cause of death and burial benefits due to a lack of medical opinion regarding the Veteran's exposure at Camp Lejeune, which could impact his eligibility for these benefits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his cause of death. The examiner is requested to address if the Veteran's service-connected disabilities were a principal or contributory cause of death and if they contributed substantially or materially to the Veteran's death.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected fibromyalgia was found to be a substantial contributing factor to her cause of death, which included aspiration pneumonia and respiratory distress syndrome. The Board granted the claim for service connection based on direct service connection.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and therefore his surviving spouse is denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of his death.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.