The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by metastatic adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, which is service-connected. The appellant is therefore granted service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and established as eligible for Dependents' Educational Assistance under Chapter 35.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the veteran died from metastatic adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, a condition that was service-connected due to his hiatal hernia. The medical evidence supported this finding, including the veteran's long history of gastroesophageal reflux disease and Barrett's esophagus.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, Barrett's esophagus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2001
- Citation
- 0127138
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 0127138.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cirrhosis, hepatitis C, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastritis, Barrett's esophagus, and obstructive sleep apnea but dismissed the claim for an acquired psychiatric disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for squamous cell carcinoma, actinic keratosis, GERD, and Barrett's esophagus due to insufficient evidence regarding their relationship to in-service sun exposure or service-connected hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to a prohibited concurrent election under VA claims processing rules.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a GI disability and left knee disability, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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