The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death, metastatic adenocarcinoma of the stomach, was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and could not be presumed to have been incurred or aggravated due to exposure to herbicides. The appellant's claim for service connection based on Gulf War Syndrome exposure was denied.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there is no competent evidence associating the certified cause of death with the veteran's military service, including exposure to herbicides and Gulf War Syndrome.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic adenocarcinoma of the stomach
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 26, 2006
- Citation
- 0618793
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,514 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0618793.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's metastatic adenocarcinoma of the stomach is attributable to toxic exposure during service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death due to a lack of evidence linking the Veteran's metastatic adenocarcinoma to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's service in Hiroshima or Nagasaki, Japan, and a need for an opinion on whether his stomach cancer is related to service. The appellant was also asked to provide any medical records she may have.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for an addendum VA opinion to determine if the Veteran's cause of death is related to his service.
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.