The Board has granted the reopening of the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there is at least equipoise evidence to suggest a link between the Veteran's metastatic carcinoma and his exposure to Agent Orange during active service. The Board also found that the Veteran's cause of death was caused by this cancer.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the Veteran's cause of death (metastatic carcinoma) could be linked to his exposure to Agent Orange, as it is presumed to have been caused by such exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19169319
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 19169319.
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 decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of the Veteran's death and his heart disorder. The appellant is asked to provide medical records, and an expert opinion on the nature and etiology of the Veteran's heart condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's fatal metastatic carcinoma is directly related to his in-service herbicide exposure. The Appellant may still establish service connection on a direct basis, despite the malignancies not being listed as diseases presumptively associated with exposure to herbicide agents under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(e).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional evidence and a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected residuals of subtotal gastrectomy was a principal or contributory cause of his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for cause of death due to new and material evidence submitted by the Appellant. However, further medical opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran's cancer was a chronic B-cell leukemia as contemplated under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(e) or otherwise related to in-service herbicide agent exposure.
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