The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected due to esophageal cancer, as the evidence does not support a finding that it began during or was caused by his military service. The lung and liver cancers were determined to be metastasis from the esophageal cancer.
The deciding factor: There is no direct evidence linking the Veteran's esophageal cancer to his military service, and the lung and liver cancers are considered metastasis of the esophageal cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- esophageal cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 30, 2016
- Citation
- 1639176
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 1639176.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher evaluation of his service-connected chronic fatigue and weakness due to chemotherapy and radiation treatment for lung cancer is granted, with an evaluation of 60 percent.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for residuals of lung cancer from May 1, 2005 is denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for intestinal cancer, liver cancer, and a liver biopsy surgical scar as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected intestinal cancer.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of liver cancer has been dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for liver cancer and an increased rating for irritable bowel syndrome has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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