The veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and his service-connected disabilities did not materially contribute to his death. The appellant is not eligible for Dependents' Educational Assistance under Chapter 35.
The deciding factor: The VA physician determined that the esophageal carcinoma that caused the veteran's death was not related to his military service or exposure to herbicides.
- Claimed conditions
- post-traumatic stress disorder, postoperative residuals of a shell fragment wound and punji stake wounds of the left leg and ankle with muscle hernia, residuals of a shell fragment wound of the right lower thigh with retained foreign body, superficial scars, residual of a shell fragment wound of the right leg, anal fissure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 13, 2006
- Citation
- 0604108
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,710 · Granted: 15% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0604108.
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 has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, sleep apnea, post-traumatic stress disorder, and urinary frequency as there is no competent evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of non-VA medical services provided on September 2, 2020 was denied under 38 U.S.C. § 1725 and 38 U.S.C. § 1728 due to lack of evidence in the file. The Board finds that remand is warranted for correction of errors in notice.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals because the Veteran died during the pendency of the appeal.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the AOJ's decision denying eligibility for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is not supported by adequate reasoning and must be remanded to allow for a thorough review, including obtaining medical opinions on whether it is in the best interest of the Veteran to participate in the PCAFC program.
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