The Board granted entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to small cell lung cancer, and awarded DIC benefits from October 20, 2016.
The deciding factor: The evidence was in approximate balance as to the question of nexus, and the Board resolved all doubt in favor of the Appellant, finding that the Veteran's lung cancer was caused by his in-service asbestos exposure on a direct basis.
- Claimed conditions
- small cell lung cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2025
- Citation
- A25094047
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,113 · Granted: 47% (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 A25094047.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for small cell lung cancer, for purposes of accrued benefits, due to a duty to assist error and statutory or regulatory duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death, including small cell lung cancer and coronary artery disease, was related to his in-service asbestos exposure. The VA must obtain an adequate opinion from a clinician.
- Granted
The Board grants an earlier effective date of March 24, 2023, for the awards of service connection for lung cancer, kidney cancer, and liver cancer.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to obtain a medical opinion and for compliance with the PACT Act regarding service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
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