The Veteran's esophageal cancer is granted service connection. The stomach condition and GERD are remanded for further examination.
The deciding factor: The medical providers' opinions support the finding that the Veteran's esophageal cancer may be related to in-service herbicide exposure, which is presumed based on his Vietnam service.
- Claimed conditions
- cancer of the esophagus, stomach condition, GERD with swallowing/throat condition
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005021
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,890 · Granted: 32% (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 20005021.
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 residuals of resection of small intestine due to remaining internal scar tissue from a service-connected gunshot wound. However, the Veteran does not have a documented current diagnosis of a stomach condition and therefore, service connection for a stomach condition is denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal, and he was denied for stomach condition, liver condition, and depression.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a stomach condition, to include GERD, is remanded due to the need for a VA examination and medical opinion.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for various conditions, including a stomach condition, neck disability, lower back disability, bulging discs in the back, uterine fibroids, asthma (claimed as breathing problems), Graves' disease (thyroid disability), hypertension, and tachycardia. The Board found that there is no evidence of these conditions being related to service or toxic exposures.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.