The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for colon cancer due to herbicide exposure and for cause of death. The appellant was not provided with a copy of the autopsy report, which is necessary to determine the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The VA did not obtain the complete autopsy report from the coroner who completed the death certificate, preventing the Board from making an informed decision on the cause of death issue.
- Claimed conditions
- colon cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 29, 2000
- Citation
- 0005407
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 0005407.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of colon cancer, claimed as due to exposure to asbestos, for an addendum opinion considering additional evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for colon cancer as the evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's current condition and their in-service toxic exposure risk activity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for colon cancer to obtain a medical opinion on its etiology, particularly regarding exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for residuals of colon cancer and prostate cancer, finding no evidence linking the conditions to the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure.
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