The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death was not related to service-connected conditions and denied both claims for service connection for the cause of death and Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA).
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion concluded that the gastric adenocarcinoma did not have a relationship with herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- gastric adenocarcinoma, metastatic to the liver
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 8, 2005
- Citation
- 0524562
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 0524562.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for gastric adenocarcinoma, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's condition and his military service, including herbicide exposure.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for gastric adenocarcinoma, finding that the Veteran's exposure to herbicide Agent Orange during service in Vietnam and contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune likely caused his current condition. The decision is based on a July 2018 private medical opinion from a board-certified cancer surgeon.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for gastric adenocarcinoma, finding that the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during service likely caused his cancer. The decision is based on a private medical opinion and resolves all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, gastric adenocarcinoma, is related to his active-duty service and grants entitlement to service connection for cause of death.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.