The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death due to non-small cell lung cancer, finding that there was no evidence linking it to service or a service-connected disability. The Veteran's exposure to radiation during service could not be verified and his cause of death was attributed to smoking-related adenocarcinoma.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion found the Veteran’s lung cancer less likely due to military service or a service-connected condition, citing smoking history and literature supporting increased risk of lung cancers from smoking.
- Claimed conditions
- Systemic lipomatosis, Adjustment disorder with depression, Non-small cell lung cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2020
- Citation
- 20064068
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20064068.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there are duty to assist errors in the current decision and remands the case for further development, including obtaining an ILER and a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cause of death is being remanded for further development to determine if it was related to in-service TERA exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and adjustment disorder with depression, as the claimed stressors could not be verified and there was no evidence linking current symptoms to service.
- Denied
The Veteran's non-small cell lung cancer was rated at 100% effective from January 7, 2025. The claim for an earlier effective date is denied.
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