The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, metastatic cancer with an unknown primary, is due to lung cancer related to exposure to herbicide agents during service. Service connection for this condition is granted. However, there is no compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the lung cancer.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not conclusively determine whether the Veteran's metastatic cancer was due to lung or pancreatic cancer and both cancers were present at the same time during service in Vietnam where he was exposed to herbicide agents, warranting presumptive service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- lung cancer, pancreatic cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 13, 2023
- Citation
- 23038828
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 23038828.
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 claim for a higher evaluation of his service-connected chronic fatigue and weakness due to chemotherapy and radiation treatment for lung cancer is granted, with an evaluation of 60 percent.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for residuals of lung cancer from May 1, 2005 is denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was not caused by a disability incurred or aggravated in service, and the Board denied the claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for further evaluation of the Veteran's lung cancer and its relationship to service, including any in-service granuloma.
- Dismissed
The Board has vacated its decisions granting service connection for lung cancer and remanding issues of tinnitus and TDIU, but the Veteran's death means these appeals are dismissed.
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