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.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that there is no compelling evidence linking the Veteran's metastatic esophageal cancer to his military service or any other service-related factors.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic esophageal squamous cell cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2010
- Citation
- 1001969
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1001969.
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 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
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.
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