The Veteran's cause of death, Esophageal Cancer, is being remanded for further development and medical opinion to determine if it was related to his military service or any conceded asbestos exposure. The issue of whether the esophageal cancer was caused by exposure to burn pits during Operation Desert Storm is also pending.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that clarification is needed on whether the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure contributed to his death and whether he was exposed to burn pits during Operation Desert Storm.
- Claimed conditions
- Esophageal Cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2018
- Citation
- 18143734
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 18143734.
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: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death from esophageal cancer is due to his service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which was secondary to his cannabis use disorder. The Board found that the Veteran's cannabis use disorder caused or substantially contributed to his development of esophageal cancer, leading to his death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's PTSD was denied a higher rating, and the TDIU issue was dismissed as moot due to his total disability status from esophageal cancer.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between the Veteran's esophageal cancer and his military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and esophageal cancer due to additional development being required.
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