The Veteran died from metastatic carcinoma of the esophagus, which was not service-connected. The Board found that there is no evidence linking the esophageal cancer to his military service or exposure to herbicides.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence linking the cause of death (metastatic carcinoma of the esophagus) to the Veteran's military service or exposure to herbicides, and the claim was denied based on lack of a link between the condition and service.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic carcinoma of the esophagus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2015
- Citation
- 1542479
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 1542479.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 remanded the claims for service connection and DIC benefits due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was caused by esophageal cancer, which the VA does not consider to be related to his presumed in-service herbicide exposure. The case is being remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and a VA medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's esophageal cancer was not manifested during service or due to any other service-related incident, including exposure to herbicides. The cause of death listed on his certificate is metastatic carcinoma of the esophagus.
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