The Board found that the veteran's service-connected duodenal ulcer did not cause or contribute to his death from pneumonia, lung metastases, and esophageal carcinoma. The Board concluded that there was no evidence of active service-connected ulcers post-service and that the veteran's esophageal cancer was unrelated to his service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the veteran's duodenal ulcer had been well-healed prior to his diagnosis of esophageal cancer, and thus did not contribute substantially or materially to his death from pneumonia, lung metastases, and esophageal carcinoma.
- Claimed conditions
- Pneumonia, Lung metastases, Esophageal carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 26, 2004
- Citation
- 0423668
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 0423668.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that none of the listed causes were related to his military service and no service-connected disability contributed to his death.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for cause of death, finding that his service-connected conditions did not contribute to his death. The evidence showed well-controlled heart symptoms prior to death and no causal relationship between anxiety and cardiopulmonary disease or renal failure.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 were not met.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain an adequate opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically addressing toxic exposures during service and submitted medical literature.
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