The veteran's cause of death is determined to be rectal/colon cancer, which may not be presumed to have resulted from radiation exposure in service. Service connection for the cause of death is granted effective March 26, 2002. The appellant remains eligible for DEA as of that date.
The deciding factor: The VA Chief Public Health and Environmental Hazards officer determined it was unlikely that the veteran's rectal/colon cancer resulted from radiation exposure in service.
- Claimed conditions
- rectal cancer, colon cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 7, 2003
- Citation
- 0304026
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 0304026.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of colon cancer, claimed as due to exposure to asbestos, for an addendum opinion considering additional evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for colon cancer as the evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's current condition and their in-service toxic exposure risk activity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for colon cancer to obtain a medical opinion on its etiology, particularly regarding exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for residuals of colon cancer and prostate cancer, finding no evidence linking the conditions to the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure.
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