The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, concluding that his esophageal cancer was not caused by mustard gas exposure during active service and that his hypertension did not contribute to his death.
The deciding factor: Service personnel records showed the veteran did not leave the continental United States until February 1944, after a German air raid in Bari, Italy. The Board found the appellant's statements about mustard gas exposure to be inherently incredible and concluded that there was no evidence of service connection for the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2002
- Citation
- 0217433
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 0217433.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus and polyneuropathy in all extremities, finding no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service or a service-connected condition.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a new VA opinion to address whether the Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus is related to his service, including exposure to warehouse chemicals and herbicide agents.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the Veteran's condition and his military service or exposure to contaminants at Camp Lejeune.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in addressing the duration of service at Camp Lejeune and missing VA treatment records. The appellant's squamous cell carcinoma is being considered for service connection based on exposure to contaminated water.
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