The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to new and material evidence, but has denied the claim as the cause of death was not a disability for which service connection had been established or one for which service connection is warranted.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion provided by Dr. M.B. concluded that it is implausible for gastric carcinoma to develop over a period of 51 years, and given the time span between the Veteran's POW experiences and his death, the odds favor development of gastric carcinoma due to exposure to causal factors during service.
- Claimed conditions
- gastric carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 24, 2015
- Citation
- 1541102
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 1541102.
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 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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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