The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be stomach cancer, but the Board found no evidence linking it to his service or any service-connected conditions. The claim for service connection is denied.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion concluded that there is insufficient medical evidence to support a direct or secondary causal pathway between Parkinson's disease and bladder cancer (both of which are recognized as associated with herbicide exposure) and the development of gastric cancer, and no other service-connected conditions were found to be etiologically related to stomach cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- stomach cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 11, 2026
- Citation
- A26022061
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 A26022061.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the appellant's claims for accrued benefits due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's cancers and his service-connected disabilities, specifically gastritis with hyperacidity and coronary artery disease. The VA is required to obtain medical opinions on the nature and etiology of the Veteran's right kidney cancer, stomach cancer, and bone cancer.
- Dismissed
Your appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The Board cannot issue a decision on your claims as they are no longer pending.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for stomach cancer and thyroid condition (claimed as thyroid cancer) is denied. The issue of service connection for a thyroid condition is remanded due to the failure to provide a VA examination.
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