The Veteran's esophageal disability, including Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer, is not service connected due to lack of current evidence and the absence of a link between his in-service herbicide exposure and his current condition.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing currently manifested esophageal disability or any etiological relationship between the Veteran's in-service herbicide exposure and his claimed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- esophageal cancer, Barrett's esophagus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 13, 2015
- Citation
- 1529829
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1529829.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of death due to esophageal cancer, which is presumed to be related to exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's prostate disability. The claims for esophageal cancer and Barrett's esophagus remain denied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the AOJ committed pre-decisional duty to notify and duty to assist errors in denying the DIC claim for the cause of the Veteran's death. The claim must be remanded to allow the AOJ to make a finding regarding whether the Appellant is considered the surviving spouse, as this is a threshold requirement for DIC benefits.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's increased rating claim for GERD with Barrett's esophagus should be remanded due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error and regulatory or statutory duties.
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