The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of her husband's death, as well as her claim under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 and Chapter 35 benefits due to lack of evidence supporting a causal link between the veteran's conditions and his death.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support a connection between the veteran's service-connected disabilities or any VA treatment with his cause of death from esophageal cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- cancer of the esophagus, degenerative changes of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 24, 2000
- Citation
- 0022380
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 0022380.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for reductions in ratings for post operative left femur fracture with leg length discrepancy and chondromalacia residuals, and degenerative changes of the lumbar spine.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical records and opinions regarding the etiology of his ankle, knee, and leg disorders.
- Granted
The Veteran's paraspinal muscle injury of the thoracic spine, degenerative changes of the cervical spine, and degenerative changes of the lumbar spine were all rated at 40 percent effective April 7, 2016. This was a reduction from noncompensable (0%) to 40%.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's pes planus was granted service connection. The Board has ordered remand for further development regarding other bilateral lower extremity disabilities and the relationship between these conditions and his service-connected rheumatoid arthritis and pes planus.
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