The Veteran's esophageal cancer, presumed due to herbicide exposure in service, was not shown during or after service and the weight of evidence does not support a nexus to service. The claims for pulmonary/respiratory disorder and colon polyps are denied.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing a link between the Veteran's esophageal cancer and his military service, including herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The other conditions were not shown during or after service.
- Claimed conditions
- esophageal cancer, pulmonary/respiratory disorder, colon polyps
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2018
- Citation
- 1802149
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 1802149.
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.
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- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sinusitis and remanded the claims for a bilateral hand condition, bilateral knee condition, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Granted
The Veteran's esophageal cancer is granted service connection due to herbicide exposure during his service in the Republic of Vietnam.
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