The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to lack of evidence linking his small cell carcinoma to his military service or exposure to radiation or chemicals.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's in-service exposures and his development of small cell carcinoma, which was primarily attributed to tobacco use.
- Claimed conditions
- small cell carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19176848
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19176848.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's skin disorders, including verruca vulgaris, small cell carcinoma, seborrheic keratosis, erythematous hyperkeratotic scaly plaque, squamous cell carcinoma, and actinic keratosis are being remanded for further examination to determine their relationship to service. The residual scars from basal cell carcinomas and a sebaceous cyst are also being examined. The rating for chloracne is also being remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the service member's death was caused by his in-service exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The appellant must provide updated VA and private treatment records, and a new opinion is needed from a VA clinician.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran died of small cell carcinoma, which is not service-connected. The Board has ordered additional development to obtain records and clarify the cause of death.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, and therefore DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 are denied.
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