The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, which was aggravated by his exposure to Agent Orange during military service, is the cause of his death. As a result, the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided support a link between the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange and his squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, which was aggravated by this exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 23, 2017
- Citation
- 1723804
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 1723804.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was caused by metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, which is not service-connected due to lack of presumptive service connection for esophageal cancer based on herbicide exposure. The cause of death was therefore not attributable to a service-connected disability.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by, or substantially or materially contributed to by, a disability incurred in or aggravated by his active service. The cause of the Veteran's death (metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus) is not related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her conditions.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine arthritis is aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
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