The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining information about the veteran's exposure to hazardous substances in the Persian Gulf War and a medical opinion on whether these exposures are related to his death from metastatic esophageal squamous cell cancer.
The deciding factor: Additional research is needed to determine the specific location of the veteran's unit during their deployment to Southwest Asia, as well as the nature and extent of exposure to hazardous substances. A medical opinion is also required to assess whether any aspect of service, including calcified lymph nodes and granulomatous disease noted in service, are related to his death from metastatic esophageal squamous cell cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic esophageal squamous cell cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 28, 2007
- Citation
- 0737265
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 0737265.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to esophageal cancer, which is presumed related to his service in Southwest Asia and exposure to burn pits. The PACT Act expanded the presumptive conditions to include gastrointestinal cancers like esophageal cancer.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for cause of death due to esophageal squamous cell cancer, finding that it was not related to service and did not contribute substantially or materially to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.
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