The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to lack of evidence linking his colon cancer to service. The appellant was also denied eligibility for dependents' educational assistance (DEA) under Chapter 35, Title 38, United States Code.
The deciding factor: There is no direct evidence showing that the veteran's colon cancer was caused by or related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- carcinoma of the colon
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2002
- Citation
- 0204434
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0204434.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for carcinoma of the colon was dismissed due to a late filing.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's cause of death is not related to service, and the appellant is not recognized as his surviving spouse for death pension purposes.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant failed to submit a completed VA Form 21-4142, which would have authorized VA to obtain terminal medical records necessary to adjudicate the claim of entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death. The evidence was insufficient to determine whether a service-connected disability was singly or with some other condition the immediate or underlying cause of the Veteran’s death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's lung cancer was a primary site, if service-connected hemorrhoids were a contributory cause of death, and if any cancer had its onset or was otherwise related to service, including presumed exposure to herbicides.
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