The veteran's claims for service connection for esophageal cancer and COPD, claimed as secondary to the use of tobacco products, are denied. The Board notes that the veteran is precluded from pursuing claims based on disability due to the use of tobacco products in service.
The deciding factor: Service connection cannot be granted for disabilities incurred or aggravated by the use of tobacco products in claims filed after June 9, 1998.
- Claimed conditions
- esophageal cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 19, 2001
- Citation
- 0118874
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0118874.
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