The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death and denied DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 due to lack of entitlement under the law.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not meet the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 as he was not rated totally disabled for at least ten years immediately preceding his death, and he was not a POW who died within one year after separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- gastric carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19165729
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 19165729.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, including claims related to radiation exposure as a dental technician in service, herbicide exposure during service on USS Providence, and asbestos exposure while serving aboard the ship. The claim will be reviewed based on these new findings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for gastric carcinoma, bleeding ulcers and gastritis with hemorrhage, and cause of death due to conflicting medical opinions. Additional VA opinions are needed to address the etiology of these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the appellant's claims to reopen service connection for the cause of death and dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, as new and material evidence was not received.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death due to esophageal and gastric cancer, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service or presumed Agent Orange exposure.
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