The Board has granted an earlier effective date of January 1, 2001 for the grant of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to Agent Orange exposure. The decision is based on new evidence submitted in October 2016.
The deciding factor: The new personnel records provided additional context about the extent of the Veteran’s exposure to herbicides, which was relevant to determining whether his cause of death was related to Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- anaplastic astrocytoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2020
- Citation
- 20063940
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,548 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20063940.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for anaplastic astrocytoma and brain cancer due to burn pits and fires exposure in Saudi Arabia was dismissed as the Notice of Disagreement was submitted more than one year after the initial denial.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his anaplastic astrocytoma was caused by presumed exposure to herbicide agents in service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to lack of evidence linking the Veteran's brain tumor, which developed after discharge from active duty, to his military service or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death is remanded for further development, including obtaining additional VA medical opinions to determine if his death was related to service.
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