The Board has ordered additional development to obtain medical records and seek an opinion from a gastroenterologist regarding the cause of death. The case will be remanded for further review.
The deciding factor: Additional evidence is needed to determine if adenocarcinoma of the esophagus had its clinical onset in service or is otherwise related to any event or circumstance of active duty, including Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- adenocarcinoma of the esophagus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2014
- Citation
- 1401623
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 1401623.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cancer was caused by his exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for cause of death due to new and material evidence. However, the case is remanded as there is insufficient evidence to determine if esophageal cancer was caused by exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, finding that it is due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and herbicide agents in Vietnam. The decision resolves all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Granted
The Veteran's adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are granted as service-connected due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his Vietnam service.
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