The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, attributing it to metastatic carcinoma of the rectum which developed many years after service and is not related to any service-connected condition or exposure to Agent Orange.
The deciding factor: The cancer was first diagnosed many years post-service and there is no evidence linking it to military service. The VA also found that there is no presumption for service connection based on Agent Orange exposure for the type of cancer in question.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic carcinoma of the rectum
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2002
- Citation
- 0200106
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 0200106.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death is now recognized as service-connected due to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents during active duty.,The claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 has been dismissed as moot.
- Denied
The Board determined that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD did not substantially or materially contribute to his death, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and the appellant is not entitled to DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was caused by metastatic carcinoma of the rectum, chronic renal failure, pneumonia, and anemia. The appellant contends that his service-connected PTSD contributed to these conditions and thus indirectly contributed to his death.
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