The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for lung cancer and Parkinson's disease, but has remanded both issues due to insufficient evidence regarding in-service exposure to toxic substances.
The deciding factor: Insufficient information was provided to verify the Veteran’s claimed in-service exposure to toxins, including herbicide agents (including commercial herbicide agents), TCE, benzene, PCE, lead, PAH and PCB.
- Claimed conditions
- lung cancer, Parkinson's disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19194957
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 19194957.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of December 12, 2023, for a 50 percent evaluation of bipolar disorder and remanded the other issues for further development.
- Dismissed
The appeal seeking entitlement to service connection for Parkinson's disease was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Parkinson's disease, which is presumed to have been incurred in active service due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.