The Veteran died from adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction. The Board found that he did not have qualifying wartime service for death pension purposes and his surviving spouse is therefore denied entitlement to death pension benefits as well as accrued benefits.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's period of active duty was prior to the start of the Vietnam era, which means he did not serve in a period of war. Therefore, he does not meet the threshold criteria for basic eligibility for nonservice-connected death pension benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2016
- Citation
- 1641257
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 1641257.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction, was not found to be related to his active service or exposure to contaminated waters at Camp Lejeune. The Board determined that there is no competent evidence linking the Veteran's cancer and ultimate death to any aspect of his service.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeal is dismissed due to his death.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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