The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of death and its relation to service, particularly Agent Orange exposure. A VA opinion is needed to determine if esophageal cancer was caused by service.
The deciding factor: The absence of a disability on the list of presumptive diseases does not disqualify a medical professional from linking it to Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple organ failure, Adult respiratory distress syndrome, Pneumonia, Esophagogastrectomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 3, 2018
- Citation
- 18124033
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18124033.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that none of the listed causes were related to his military service and no service-connected disability contributed to his death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for cause of death, finding that his service-connected conditions did not contribute to his death. The evidence showed well-controlled heart symptoms prior to death and no causal relationship between anxiety and cardiopulmonary disease or renal failure.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by multiple organ failure, which the Board found to be related to service-connected liver disease and other conditions. Service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 were not met.
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