The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, as well as DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 and burial benefits due to lack of evidence linking the veteran's death to his military service or VA treatment.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no medical evidence showing a link between the veteran's death from metastatic esophageal carcinoma and his military service or any VA treatment, thus denying all claims.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic carcinoma of the esophagus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2006
- Citation
- 0608121
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,699 · Granted: 17% (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 0608121.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and DIC benefits due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the cause of death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran died from metastatic carcinoma of the esophagus, which was not service-connected. The Board found that there is no evidence linking the esophageal cancer to his military service or exposure to herbicides.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was caused by esophageal cancer, which the VA does not consider to be related to his presumed in-service herbicide exposure. The case is being remanded for further development.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and a VA medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's 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.