The Board has denied service connection for lung cancer and remanded the issue of service connection for diabetes. The Veteran's lung cancer is not related to his military service, including exposure at Camp Lejeune. Service connection for diabetes cannot be established due to insufficient evidence regarding in-service herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's tobacco use was irrefutably the cause of his lung cancer and there is no indication of herbicide exposure during service, leading to denial of both claims.
- Claimed conditions
- lung cancer, diabetes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20003026
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal and skin disabilities.
- 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 appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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.