The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to esophageal cancer, which is presumed related to his service in Southwest Asia and exposure to burn pits. The PACT Act expanded the presumptive conditions to include gastrointestinal cancers like esophageal cancer.
The deciding factor: The esophageal squamous cell cancer was initially diagnosed as a primary cancer that metastasized to the liver, meeting the first element of service connection. Given the Veteran's exposure during service in Southwest Asia and his participation in toxic exposure risk activity (TERA), the Board found service connection for the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic esophageal squamous cell cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 20, 2023
- Citation
- 23039912
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 23039912.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for cause of death due to esophageal squamous cell cancer, finding that it was not related to service and did not contribute substantially or materially to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining information about the veteran's exposure to hazardous substances in the Persian Gulf War and a medical opinion on whether these exposures are related to his death from metastatic esophageal squamous cell cancer.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
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