The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death due to new and material evidence. The appeal is remanded for further development regarding the appellant's assertion that her husband died from radiation exposure during service.
The deciding factor: The appellant submitted medical evidence suggesting her husband's death was related to in-service radiation exposure, which triggered the application of VA regulations governing claims based on ionizing radiation exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiopulmonary arrest, acute kidney failure, acute tubular necrosis, hypovolemic and septic shock, status post exploratory laparotomy (ex-lap)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Ionizing radiation
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2018
- Citation
- 18148724
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 18148724.
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 duty to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's death was linked to his service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to lack of evidence showing a link between any service-connected disability and the Veteran's death. The conditions listed on his death certificate were not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that there was no evidence linking any of the immediate or contributing causes of his death to his period of active duty service. The Board also found that the PACT Act did not apply in this case as the Veteran served prior to the period when herbicide agents were presumed used.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for cause of death and DIC benefits due to a failure to obtain a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's conditions, including his thyroid cancer and diabetes. The appellant is seeking service connection based on Agent Orange exposure.
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