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 assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- February 13, 2006
- Citation
- 0604108
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for an adequate examination to address the nature and severity of the Veteran's service-connected anal fissure (also claimed as proctalgia fugax, prolonged painful rectum spasms).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for post-traumatic stress disorder to provide her with another opportunity to attend a new VA mental health examination.
- Granted
The Board grants the appeal in full, granting service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a bowel condition, including GERD, colon polyps, colon diverticulosis, hemorrhoids, and anal fissure, to determine if these conditions are aggravated by service-connected diabetes with obesity as an intermediate step.
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