The Board has granted service connection for infiltrating astrocytoma with secondary vasculitis and awarded special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance prior to February 24, 2023. The decision is based on a finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not related to his service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's personal risk factors (such as smoking history and long-term employment as a machinist) outweighed any in-service exposures, including exposure to herbicide agents and contaminated water from Camp Lejeune. The VA examiner provided a detailed explanation of these risks and concluded that they were more likely responsible for the Veteran's condition.
- Claimed conditions
- infiltrating astrocytoma with secondary vasculitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 15, 2024
- Citation
- 24033070
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,861 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24033070.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for infiltrating astrocytoma with secondary vasculitis (claimed as CNS lymphoma) and SMC based on need for aid and attendance or housebound status, finding that the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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