The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected condition, and his death did not meet the criteria for dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1310 or § 1318.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the Veteran's esophageal cancer or its complications to service or any other service-connected disability, and his death did not meet the criteria for dependency and indemnity compensation under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- esophageal cancer, hiatal hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 20, 2010
- Citation
- 1027021
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 1027021.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, hiatal hernia, COPD, and prostate cancer as a result of toxic exposure during the Veteran's military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent disability rating for GERD and hiatal hernia, effective March 31, 2020, but denied an earlier effective date and a higher initial rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death to correct predecisional duty to assist errors, including obtaining additional records and a medical nexus opinion.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hiatal hernia but denied it for obstructive sleep apnea.
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