The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death due to esophageal cancer, finding that it was not related to his military service. The appellant is also ineligible for Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance.
The deciding factor: The VA determined that the veteran's esophageal cancer was not caused by or substantially contributed to by a disability of service origin.
- Claimed conditions
- esophageal cancer, peptic ulcer disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 30, 2002
- Citation
- 0208632
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 0208632.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death to correct predecisional duty to assist errors, including obtaining additional records and a medical nexus opinion.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for peptic ulcer disease and denied service connection for a low back disability, with some issues remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's esophageal cancer is granted service connection due to herbicide exposure during his service in the Republic of Vietnam.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as well as remanded several other claims for further development.
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