The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that his service-connected fractured cervical spine did not contribute substantially or materially to his cause of death.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's cervical spine surgery resulted in kyphosis, which caused pressure on the esophagus from the vertebral bodies of C6 and C7. However, he opined that this did not lead to his death due to a major upper gastrointestinal bleed and hemodynamic instability.
- Claimed conditions
- fractured cervical spine, metastatic small cell lung cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2021
- Citation
- 21064744
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 21064744.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic small cell lung cancer, is presumed to be related to herbicide agent exposure. The Appellant's original DIC claim would have been allowed if the PACT Act had been in effect at the time of filing. Therefore, service connection for the cause of death is granted with an effective date of November 1, 2018.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for metastatic small cell lung cancer, liver metastases of primary lung cancer, and osseous and hepatic metastases of lung cancer on a secondary basis due to the Veteran's in-service exposure to toxic chemicals.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for cause of death, finding that there was no persuasive evidence linking the Veteran's death to his military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death is granted effective June 1, 2019, based on service connection for the cause of death due to in-service exposure to herbicide agents at Udorn RTAFB.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
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.