The Board has determined that the Veteran's Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) is related to his service-connected exposure to Agent Orange, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: The medical expert opinion supported by a review of pertinent records found that the Veteran’s GIST was at least as likely as not related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST), soft tissue sarcoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19105203
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,820 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19105203.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, soft tissue sarcoma, and hypertension. The Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents is presumed due to his service in Thailand with the 18 Organizational Maintenance Squadron (PACAF).
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for basal cell carcinoma, but denied service connection for soft tissue sarcoma. The case is remanded to obtain a medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's basal cell carcinoma.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of all claims by the Veteran through his authorized representative.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for multiple myeloma and soft tissue sarcoma, finding no evidence of these conditions during or approximate to the pendency of the claim.
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