The Veteran's cause of death is attributed to metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis. The Board finds that a retrospective posthumous medical opinion is needed to determine whether bladder cancer was a primary or metastatic site, and to verify exposure to Agent Blue and asbestos in military construction.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's cause of death due to his cancers being associated with herbicide agent exposure. The need for a retrospective posthumous medical opinion is required to address these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of renal pelvis, high-grade urothelial cell carcinoma of the kidney, transitional cell cancer of the bladder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 5, 2023
- Citation
- 23026075
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 23026075.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by metastatic cancer and transitional cell cancer of the bladder, which are presumed to be due to exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Guam. The Board granted service connection for the cause of death based on this presumption.
- Granted
The Veteran's transitional cell cancer of the bladder, status post radical cystoprostatectomy and ileoconduit is considered an additional disability resulting from VA treatment. The delay in diagnosis was due to carelessness or negligence on VA's part, leading to a more severe surgery than necessary.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause or significantly contribute to his death, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of his death.
- Denied
The veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by a service-connected disability. The appellant does not meet the basic eligibility requirements for VA death pension benefits.
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