The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death was not related to his military service, including presumed herbicide exposure. No service-connected disability substantially contributed to the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: Gastroesophageal carcinoma is not a condition associated with Agent Orange exposure for purposes of applying the regulatory presumption.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic esophageal carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 11, 2007
- Citation
- 0738874
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 0738874.
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 the cause of death due to metastatic esophageal carcinoma, which is presumed to be caused by herbicide exposure during service in Vietnam.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death was not related to herbicide agent exposure, but service connection for the cause of death is granted due to a current disability (metastatic esophageal carcinoma) and a causal relationship established on a direct basis.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cause of death due to metastatic esophageal carcinoma, which the Veteran was presumed exposed to herbicide agents during his service in Vietnam. The Board found that exposure to herbicide agents likely caused or substantially contributed to the cause of death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death was metastatic esophageal carcinoma, which is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to his presumed exposure to Agent Orange. The Board also found no evidence of primary lung cancer and concluded that the esophageal cancer did not result from Agent Orange exposure.
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