The Veteran's small cell lung cancer is presumed to be related to his service in Thailand, where he was exposed to herbicide agents. The Board has granted service connection for cause of death due to this condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran served at one of the designated Thailand Air Force bases and had duties that likely took him near the base perimeter, placing him at risk of exposure to herbicide agents used on the perimeters of military bases in Thailand.
- Claimed conditions
- Small cell lung cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19192413
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (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 19192413.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no competent and credible evidence to establish exposure to herbicide agents during his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of death due to small cell lung cancer, which is considered a direct result of active military service. The claim related to VA treatment delay and carelessness in diagnosing and treating the Veteran's condition was denied under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected hepatitis C contributed substantially to his cause of death, small cell lung cancer. The decision grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board denied DIC benefits based on service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to lack of evidence supporting herbicide exposure during service in Korea, and thus no service connection could be established.
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