The Veteran's cause of death, gastric carcinoma, is not considered to be related to his service-connected disabilities. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding that any service-connected disability contributed substantially or materially to the Veteran's cause of death.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing that the Veteran's service-connected gunshot wounds caused or significantly contributed to his gastric carcinoma, which was diagnosed many years after his discharge from service.
- Claimed conditions
- gastric carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 18, 2013
- Citation
- 1329955
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 1329955.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by gastric carcinoma, which the Board found to be related to his exposure to herbicide agents in service. As a result, DIC benefits are granted.
- Granted
The Board has granted the appellant's claim to reopen service connection for cause of death, finding that the Veteran's gastric carcinoma (stomach cancer) is a result of his in-service exposure to Agent Orange. As this condition is considered a service-connected disability, it was determined as the immediate cause of the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cause of death is remanded for a VA opinion to determine the cause(s) and whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's gastric carcinoma, and/or any other determined cause of death, is directly related to service, including herbicide exposure. The DIC claim is also remanded due to its inextricability with the cause of death claim.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death due to lack of evidence linking any service-connected disability or exposure to contaminants, radiation, asbestos, or contaminated drinking water to his gastric carcinoma.
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