The Veteran's death was caused by anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid, which is service-connected as it occurred during his active duty and is not related to any exposure to ionizing radiation. The Board granted the claim for cause of death.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established based on direct evidence showing that the Veteran had anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid due to a disease process that manifested in 2002, which occurred during his service and is not related to any exposure to ionizing radiation.
- Claimed conditions
- anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 3, 2021
- Citation
- 21012039
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 21012039.
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 Board has remanded the issue of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid, as there is insufficient evidence regarding its cause and whether it was substantially or materially contributed to his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board is remanding the case to obtain clarification of a previous opinion and to provide an updated medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's death was related to his service, specifically including exposure to non-ionizing radiation from naval radar equipment.
- Denied
The VA denied the veteran's claims for a total compensation rating based on individual unemployability and service connection for anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid due to radiation exposure, as there was insufficient evidence linking the cancer to his active service or radiation exposure.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by his exposure to Agent Orange, which contributed to his development of anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid with bilateral lung metastases. The claim is granted.
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