The Veteran's esophageal cancer was not manifested in service or within a year following his discharge from active duty, and the preponderance of the evidence is against a finding that it is related to his service. The Board has determined that the esophageal cancer is less likely than not caused by exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The VA physician's opinion was more persuasive as it cited medical literature and noted that esophageal cancer primarily affects Caucasian men over the age of 55, such as the Veteran, and research does not suggest an association exists between esophageal cancer and contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune.
- Claimed conditions
- esophageal cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 13, 2017
- Citation
- 1738717
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 1738717.
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 Board has granted service connection for the cause of death due to esophageal cancer, which is presumed to be related to exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's prostate disability. The claims for esophageal cancer and Barrett's esophagus remain denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the AOJ committed pre-decisional duty to notify and duty to assist errors in denying the DIC claim for the cause of the Veteran's death. The claim must be remanded to allow the AOJ to make a finding regarding whether the Appellant is considered the surviving spouse, as this is a threshold requirement for DIC benefits.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for esophageal cancer, finding that the Veteran's presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his service near the Korean DMZ more likely than not contributed to the development of the condition.
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