The Board remands the claim for service connection of the cause of the Veteran's death, esophageal cancer, to obtain a medical opinion regarding its potential relation to in-service herbicide exposure and other toxic exposures under the PACT Act.
The deciding factor: A medical opinion is required due to the possibility that the Veteran's esophageal cancer may be related to his service, including his exposure to herbicide agents, necessitating remand for further development of evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- Esophageal cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2024
- Citation
- A24065805
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence linking his esophageal cancer to his military service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a new medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically to address whether his esophageal cancer is related to his exposure to Camp Lejeune contaminated water.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for arthritis of multiple joints, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, and urethral cancer due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's service or exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as there was no evidence that his heart disease, diabetes, or esophageal cancer were related to his military service.
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