The Board has granted service connection for the cause of death under the PACT Act, but has remanded to determine if service connection can be established without regard to the new law.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lung cancer was found to be due to herbicide agent exposure in Thailand, which is presumed based on the PACT Act. However, further development is needed to address other potential causes of death and whether they are related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lungs
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 4, 2023
- Citation
- 23025745
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 23025745.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
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 further development is necessary before the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death can be adjudicated. The claims are remanded to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding whether exposure to TCE, PAH, arsenic, lead, and/or petroleum compounds and their derivatives at Chanute Air Force Base was related to the Veteran's lung cancer.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to metastatic lung cancer, finding that it was not caused or contributed substantially or materially to her death.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by his metastatic lung cancer, which is at least as likely as not due to asbestos exposure during his service. As a result, DIC benefits for cause of death are granted.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to radiation exposure, but cannot assign an earlier effective date as no other provisions support such a grant.
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