The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding no evidence linking his death to his period of service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing carcinoma within the applicable presumptive period and no evidence of treatment for carcinoma prior to the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- esophageal carcinoma, pulmonary tuberculosis, peptic ulcer, essential hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 12, 2002
- Citation
- 0209706
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 0209706.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease but denied service connection for irritable bowel syndrome. The Board also denied an increased rating for the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Barrett's esophagitis, GERD, and esophageal carcinoma based on the Veteran's exposure to herbicides during active service in Vietnam.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension and erectile dysfunction, both presumed to be due to herbicide exposure. The claims for hypertrophy of the prostate, migraine headaches, and peptic ulcer were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted restoration of the 10 percent evaluation for left knee meniscus, effective April 21, 2025, and an additional 20 percent rating was also granted.
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