The Board found no evidence that the veteran's cause of death was related to service, including due to herbicide exposure. The claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is denied.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's metastatic gastric cancer to his military service or any service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic gastric cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 18, 2008
- Citation
- 0802135
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 0802135.
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 Veteran's cause of death is due to diffuse bilateral pneumonia, which was found to be caused by exposure to herbicide agents in Iraq. The gastrointestinal cancer that led to his death is presumed to have been caused by the same exposure. Therefore, service connection for the cause of death is granted.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, metastatic gastric cancer, was related to his active-duty service at Camp Lejeune. The benefit of doubt has been applied in favor of the claim.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded two issues: service connection for metastatic gastric cancer and the cause of death. The Veteran's claims are being returned to VA for additional development, including obtaining medical records and completing a Toxic Exposure Risk Activity (TERA) memorandum.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for metastatic gastric cancer and cause of death due to metastatic gastric cancer, as these issues are intertwined with each other. The claims will be addressed again after obtaining relevant medical records and providing an addendum opinion.
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