The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death, metastatic colorectal cancer, was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not related to his service-connected disabilities. The claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was also denied as there was no evidence showing VA treatment caused additional disability.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the metastatic colorectal cancer did not have its onset in service and is not related to his service-connected disabilities, thus denying both service connection for the cause of death and DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic colorectal cancer, Type II diabetes mellitus, obesity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2002
- Citation
- 0217431
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 0217431.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus, finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a restoration of the separate 10 percent rating for vertigo, an earlier effective date for service connection for vertigo and migraines, and a 30 percent rating for hypothyroidism with heart murmur. The decision also denied an earlier effective date for hypertension and remanded claims for obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, and individual unemployability.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, and hypertension.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that Type II diabetes mellitus and hypertension, which are presumed to have resulted from herbicide exposure during service, contributed substantially to his demise.
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