The Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder is found to have contributed to his death from lung cancer, as the evidence shows that his alcohol abuse and resulting liver damage were related to his anxiety disorder. The Board finds in favor of the appellant.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's anxiety disorder increased his risk of death from lung cancer due to its impact on his ability to fight the disease and his history of alcohol use leading to cirrhosis of the liver.
- Claimed conditions
- Anxiety disorder, Cirrhosis of the liver, Lung cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19111281
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 19111281.
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 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, recurrent depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and unspecified bipolar and related disorder based on credible evidence of in-service stressors and continuous symptoms since service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a psychiatric disorder, other than posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), variously diagnosed as major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, adjustment disorder, and panic disorder.
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