The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's cause of death and his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The appellant seeks service connection for the cause of her husband's death, which is presumed to be related to exposure to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The Board found that an adequate medical opinion was not provided regarding the Veteran's smoking history and its relation to his lung cancer, as well as the relationship between his service exposure and his cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic carcinoma of the lung
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 19, 2018
- Citation
- 1823730
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 1823730.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and his DIC claim under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 was denied as he did not meet the criteria for a total disability rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to metastatic carcinoma of the lung, finding that there was not an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding a nexus between the Veteran's cancer and service. The Board found the VA examiner's opinion more probative than the appellant's assertion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and SMC based on aid and attendance/housebound status due to incomplete development, including verifying herbicide exposure during service. The claim for death pension benefits is dismissed as moot.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to uncertainty about whether the Veteran's cause of death, metastatic carcinoma of the lung, is related to his military service. The VA needs to provide an opinion on this issue.
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