The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death due to lack of evidence linking his terminal cancer to his service-connected disabilities. The appellant was also denied improved death pension benefits as her income exceeded the maximum allowable amount.
The deciding factor: No medical evidence established a causal link between the veteran's service-connected conditions and his development of metastatic colon cancer, which caused his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Metastatic colon cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 4, 2002
- Citation
- 0213637
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 0213637.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and DIC benefits because the Regional Office failed to obtain a VA medical opinion to determine whether the veteran's service-connected disabilities caused, contributed to, or aggravated his death from metastatic colon cancer. The Board found a reasonable possibility that a medical opinion would aid in substantiating the claim, particularly regarding whether alcohol use disorder was a risk factor for the colon cancer.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for metastatic colon cancer as the Veteran's cause of death to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the etiology of the condition, considering all applicable military deployments and toxic exposure risk activities.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II contributed to his death from metastatic colon cancer. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise and grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death was not related to his active military service, including exposure to asbestos or non-ionizing radiation. The Board also found no evidence of VA negligence in diagnosing and treating the Veteran.
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