The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for cause of death and granted it, finding that new evidence supports a reopening of the claim due to herbicide exposure during service. The Veteran's cause of death was large cell lung cancer.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran had been exposed to herbicides during his service in Thailand and this exposure contributed to his cause of death, which was large cell lung cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- large cell lung cancer
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2018
- Citation
- 1815607
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 1815607.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that the Veteran's lung cancer was not related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that further development is needed to determine the Veteran's exposure to radiation and herbicide agents, which could impact his cause of death claim. The case is being remanded for this purpose.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has ordered a remand to determine if the Veteran was exposed to environmental and chemical hazards while stationed at Fort McClellan, Alabama. If exposure is found, a medical opinion will be obtained to assess whether such exposure caused his lung cancer.
- Denied
The Veteran died of large cell lung cancer, which was not service-connected. The VA medical opinion found it less likely than not that the Veteran's service-connected spine disease or pain medications contributed to his death.
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