The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his death from gastric cancer. The appellant contends that the Veteran's service-connected conditions weakened him and depressed him, making it difficult for him to fight his fatal cancers.
The deciding factor: The VA physician must provide an opinion as to whether the Veteran's fatal gastric cancer was related to any incident of his military service (taking into account his documented August 1984 and January 1987 in-service reports of a history of indigestion).
- Claimed conditions
- gastric cancer, leukemia, bladder cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 13, 2015
- Citation
- 1510679
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 1510679.
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 denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for blood cancer, leukemia, eye disorder, myelodysplastic syndrome, and thrombocytopenia due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by his military service. The case is remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's prostate and bladder cancer rating was reduced from 100% to 40%, effective December 1, 2025. The Veteran withdrew his appeal at a Board hearing held in April 2026.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment prior to January 31, 2023.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus II, ischemic heart disease, and bladder cancer due to lack of evidence supporting herbicide exposure during service.
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