The Veteran's cause of death was listed as metastatic esophageal cancer, but the Board found insufficient evidence to link this condition to his service or herbicide agent exposure. The appellant argued for a secondary connection based on presumed Agent Orange exposure, but the VA and VHA opinions were more persuasive in finding no such link.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of medical evidence did not support a causal relationship between the Veteran's esophageal cancer and his service or herbicide agent exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Metastatic esophageal cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2021
- Citation
- 21012960
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 21012960.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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: Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death due to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, finding that there was no evidence linking the esophageal cancer to exposure to contaminated water.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for depression and metastatic esophageal cancer, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding VA treatment records and private medical records needed for a proper evaluation of the cause of death. The appellant seeks service connection for the cause of her husband's death, which is related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's GERD was initially granted service connection and assigned a noncompensable rating. The case has now been remanded to determine if the current GERD symptoms warrant a higher initial rating.
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