The veteran died in 1997 with cancer of the esophagus and metastasis to the liver and kidney. His service-connected disabilities did not meet the criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.
The deciding factor: The veteran's death was due to a condition that was not related to his service-connected disabilities, nor were they rated as totally disabling at any point prior to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Cancer of the esophagus, Metastasis to liver and kidney
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 26, 2003
- Citation
- 0321329
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 0321329.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted the petition to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and has determined that the Veteran's cancer was due to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents. The claim is therefore granted.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death due to a lack of evidence showing that the veteran's esophageal cancer was incurred in or aggravated by military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that cancer of the esophagus was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and did not have a material influence in his death. The confluent bronchopneumonia with sepsis, shock, and multi-system failure were also not related to service.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and thus denied his claim for service connection for cause of death.
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