The veteran's metastatic colorectal cancer was not incurred in or aggravated by service, including exposure to Agent Orange. The claim for a TDIU rating is denied as the veteran does not have any service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of evidence established that the metastatic colorectal cancer began years after service and was not caused by any incident of service, including herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic colorectal cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2002
- Citation
- 0217423
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 0217423.
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 remands the claims for service connection for metastatic colorectal cancer and lung cancer due to deficiencies in the AOJ's duty-to-assist, including failure to obtain complete service treatment records and an adequate VA medical opinion.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death before a Board decision could be made.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for metastatic colorectal cancer, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during his active duty service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's lung cancer is granted as secondary to his service-connected metastatic colorectal cancer, which resulted from presumed Agent Orange exposure.
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