Veterans' Appellate Court Affirms Denial of Benefits to Former Smoker

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The denial of benefits to the widow of a veteran has been upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans' Claims after the court found that asbestos exposure had been reviewed, and discounted, as a possible cause of the veteran's lung cancer. Meadors v. Shinseki, No. 10-1091 (U.S. Ct. App., Veterans Claims).

In the Nov. 8 decision, the appellate court noted that the Veterans' Affairs examiner had properly "conducted a search of the medical evidence in the record to find any evidence of asbestos related disease."

"Because the 2009 VA doctor reviewed the veteran's medical history …