The appeal for service connection for cause of death is remanded due to insufficient evidence. The appeal for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is dismissed.
The deciding factor: Insufficient information in the current record regarding the relationship between the Veteran's causes of death and his service, including exposure to herbicide agents or asbestos.
- Claimed conditions
- interstitial lung disease, pulmonary embolism, thrombophilia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2020
- Citation
- 20007827
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.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew all claims on appeal, and the Board dismissed the appeal.
- Partly granted
The Board granted the reinstatement of a 30% rating for cystic kidney disease, denied service connection for supraventricular tachycardia and old myocardial infarction, and denied initial ratings in excess of 10% for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for cause of death due to a duty-to-assist error, requiring further development.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 29, 2021, for the grant of service connection for a pulmonary embolism disability and an initial disability rating of 60 percent.
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.