The Veteran's esophageal adenocarcinoma and residuals of esophagectomy were not caused by or became worse as a result of VA treatment, and the additional disability did not result from carelessness, negligence, lack of skill, error in judgment or similar instance of fault on the part of the VA attending personnel.
The deciding factor: The delay in scheduling the endoscopy procedure allowed for the spread of esophageal cancer requiring an esophagectomy and rib resection. The provider opined that the invasive spread was not due to carelessness, negligence, lack of skill or similar instance of fault on the part of VA.
- Claimed conditions
- esophageal adenocarcinoma, residuals of esophagectomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2022
- Citation
- 22065126
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 22065126.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of death due to esophageal adenocarcinoma, which was linked to presumed herbicide agent exposure during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the link between the Veteran's esophageal adenocarcinoma and his exposure to Agent Orange during service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for esophageal adenocarcinoma based on the Veteran's exposure to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, sleep disorder, GERD, and esophageal adenocarcinoma due to duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran will receive a new examination.
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