The veteran died of esophageal and gastric carcinomas, but his service-connected Hodgkin's lymphoma was not found to be the principal or contributory cause of death. The Board denied claims for service connection for these cancers.
The deciding factor: The cancer diagnoses were not considered service-connected due to lack of evidence linking them to Agent Orange exposure or other service-related factors.
- Claimed conditions
- esophageal carcinoma, gastric carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 19, 2007
- Citation
- 0721724
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 0721724.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Barrett's esophagitis, GERD, and esophageal carcinoma based on the Veteran's exposure to herbicides during active service in Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for TDIU and DEA benefits due to unresolved issues regarding his service-connected disabilities and their impact on his ability to work. The case will be referred to the Director, Compensation Service, for consideration of whether a higher effective date is warranted.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by gastric carcinoma, which the Board found to be related to his exposure to herbicide agents in service. As a result, DIC benefits are granted.
- Granted
The Board has granted the appellant's claim to reopen service connection for cause of death, finding that the Veteran's gastric carcinoma (stomach cancer) is a result of his in-service exposure to Agent Orange. As this condition is considered a service-connected disability, it was determined as the immediate cause of the Veteran's death.
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