The Veteran's death is not due to or a consequence of service or a service-connected disability. Service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is denied.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the Veteran’s lung cancer, which was diagnosed 40 years after separation from service, to his military service or any service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- small cell lung cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19193113
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 19193113.
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.
- Granted
The Board grants an earlier effective date of March 24, 2023, for the awards of service connection for lung cancer, kidney cancer, and liver cancer.
- Granted
The Board granted entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to small cell lung cancer, and awarded DIC benefits from October 20, 2016.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to obtain a medical opinion and for compliance with the PACT Act regarding service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The claim for VA home loan guaranty benefits is denied because the Veteran did not die from a service-connected disability and was not in receipt of compensation at the time of his death.
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