The Board found that the Veteran's fatal cancer was not caused by his in-service service or a service-connected disability, but rather due to an unrelated cause. The decision is mixed as it granted some aspects of the claim and denied others.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish a direct link between the Veteran's in-service exposure to herbicides and his fatal cancer, nor could it be determined that any service-connected condition contributed substantially or materially to causing death.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic gastroesophageal carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2013
- Citation
- 1337913
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 1337913.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board is remanding the case for further development and consideration, including obtaining an addendum to the April 2008 VA opinion regarding whether a service-connected disability caused or aggravated the Veteran's fatal metastatic gastroesophageal carcinoma.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board previously denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death. The Court affirmed part of the decision and remanded the claim to determine if there is a probability that the Veteran's fatal cancer was related to his period of active military service, including exposure to herbicides. The case is now being remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Board finds that the veteran's cause of death, metastatic gastroesophageal carcinoma, was not caused or contributed to by his military service, including his inservice exposure to herbicides. As a result, the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that a VA medical opinion is needed to determine if the veteran's exposure to herbicides in Vietnam may have contributed to his death from metastatic gastroesophageal carcinoma.
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