The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for cancer of the esophagus, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his condition and his exposure to Agent Orange during service. The case was remanded due to outstanding medical records and the need for further notification under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000.
The deciding factor: The Board found that esophageal cancer is not on the list of presumption diseases related to Agent Orange exposure, and recent studies by the National Academy of Sciences did not recommend including it on this list.
- Claimed conditions
- cancer of the esophagus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2003
- Citation
- 0334449
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 0334449.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's esophagus cancer is granted as service connected due to exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam service. The cause of death, metastatic esophageal cancer, is also granted.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cancer of the esophagus, finding that it is related to his gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which was aggravated by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medications used to treat a service-connected knee condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus is found to be etiologically related to his esophageal cancer, granting service connection for the esophageal cancer. The rating for left second and third toe amputation remains at 20 percent.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for esophageal, tongue, and pharyngeal cancer as well as skin cancer due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to military service or herbicide exposure.
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