The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of her husband's death and DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding no evidence linking the veteran's esophageal adenocarcinoma to his military service or exposure to Agent Orange or asbestos.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was insufficient evidence to establish a link between the veteran's death-causing esophageal cancer and his military service, including any potential exposure to herbicides or asbestos.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic esophageal adenocarcinoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 8, 2006
- Citation
- 0613285
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,467 · Granted: 18% (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 0613285.
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: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Parkinson's disease and Type II diabetes mellitus due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents, specifically Agent Orange. Service connection for metastatic esophageal adenocarcinoma is remanded as the AOJ failed to obtain a direct service connection medical opinion.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of service personnel records and the need to verify the Veteran's exposure to herbicides while stationed at Ramasun Station. The cause of death is attributed to metastatic esophageal adenocarcinoma, but there is contention that atherosclerotic heart disease may be related to herbicide exposure.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's metastatic esophageal adenocarcinoma is not service-connected, and the Board has remanded to determine if his service-connected disabilities contributed substantially or materially to cause his death. The issues of service connection for metastatic esophageal adenocarcinoma and cause of death are inextricably intertwined.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of death and potential herbicide exposure during service.
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