The Board has determined that the Veteran's death from esophageal cancer is due to his service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which was secondary to his cannabis use disorder. The Board found that the Veteran's cannabis use disorder caused or substantially contributed to his development of esophageal cancer, leading to his death.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's cannabis use disorder, which was secondary to his service-connected PTSD, caused or substantially contributed to the development of esophageal cancer, which led to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Cannabis Use Disorder, Esophageal Cancer
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2024
- Citation
- A24080012
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 A24080012.
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 Veteran's PTSD has been granted a 70% rating effective March 25, 2024. The Board found that the increase in severity of his disability warranted this rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the Veteran's PTSD and bipolar disorder, as well as a failure to provide an adequate VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD with cannabis use disorder is granted, effective October 19, 2020. The Board also granted an earlier effective date of November 18, 2011.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's disability rating for PTSD from 70% to 50%, effective December 1, 2019, finding that any improvement in his condition did not reflect an actual improvement in his ability to function.
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