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.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran served as an aircraft pneudraulic repairman and was likely exposed to herbicide agents near the base's perimeter during his time stationed at Udorn RTAFB, which is presumed due to service in Vietnam-era Thailand.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic small cell lung cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2023
- Citation
- A23029617
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 A23029617.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic small cell lung cancer, is denied as there is no evidence to support a connection between the condition and his military service or exposure to asbestos or herbicides.
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