The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his cause of death, finding that there was no evidence linking his emphysema and cancer of the mouth to his military service or exposure to herbicide agents.
The deciding factor: The VA clinician determined that the Veteran’s cardio-pulmonary arrest, emphysema, and mouth cancer were not etiologically related to service, including exposure to herbicides.
- Claimed conditions
- emphysema of the lung, cancer of the mouth
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19191900
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 19191900.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 determined that additional development is needed to determine the Veteran's exposure to ionizing radiation during service and whether he meets the criteria for direct service connection due to his claimed condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's causes of death are directly related to service, including herbicide exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for a Travel Board hearing. The case will be returned to the Board after the hearing.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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