The Veteran's cause of death, renal cancer, is granted as service-connected due to exposure to herbicides during his Vietnam service. The claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is dismissed because the cause of death is recognized as service-connected.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence supports a direct link between the Veteran's in-service exposure to Agent Orange and his diagnosis of renal cancer, which was the cause of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- renal cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20024141
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 20024141.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cause of death is remanded due to insufficient service connection for the cause of his death, kidney cancer. The DIC claim is also remanded as it is contingent upon a finding of service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was determined to be caused by lung cancer, which is presumed to have developed due to service exposure to herbicide agents. The claim for DIC benefits has been granted with an effective date of December 19, 2014.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the VA medical opinion is inadequate and requires a new opinion to determine if the Veteran's renal cancer is related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's renal cancer and surgical scar are not service-connected. The case is being remanded for further evaluation of the Veteran's hypertension.
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