The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and his DIC claim under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 was denied as he did not meet the criteria for a total disability rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran had no service-connected disabilities that were rated as totally disabling at any point before or after his death.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic carcinoma of the lung
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2022
- Citation
- 22058811
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 22058811.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to metastatic carcinoma of the lung, finding that there was not an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding a nexus between the Veteran's cancer and service. The Board found the VA examiner's opinion more probative than the appellant's assertion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and SMC based on aid and attendance/housebound status due to incomplete development, including verifying herbicide exposure during service. The claim for death pension benefits is dismissed as moot.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to uncertainty about whether the Veteran's cause of death, metastatic carcinoma of the lung, is related to his military service. The VA needs to provide an opinion on this issue.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and there is no evidence of VA negligence in his care. The cause of death was lung cancer, which developed after the Veteran left active duty.
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