The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to bile duct and esophageal cancers, which are presumed to be related to Agent Orange exposure during his service in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence was at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran’s bile duct and esophageal cancers were related to in-service exposures in Vietnam or other factors.
- Claimed conditions
- cholangiocarcinoma, adenocarcinoma of the esophagus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19182999
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 granted an effective date of November 30, 2016, but not earlier, for the award of service connection for cholangiocarcinoma.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, cholangiocarcinoma, based on evidence supporting a direct relationship between the disease and the Veteran's in-service exposure to Agent Orange.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for a survivor's pension was denied due to the appellant's countable income exceeding the maximum annual pension rate. The Board also remanded the issue of service connection for cause of death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to cholangiocarcinoma, finding no evidence that it was caused by exposure to herbicides or liver flukes during service, and also found no aggravation by a resolved laryngeal cancer.
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