The Board denied the appellant's claim for DIC benefits, finding that there was no competent evidence establishing a nexus between the cause of the veteran's death and service or showing that his service-connected disabilities substantially or materially contributed to the cause of his death.
The deciding factor: There is no indication in the service medical records that cancer was present during service. The Board found that metastatic cancer of the colon, which caused the veteran's death, is not one of the diseases subject to presumptive service connection as enumerated in 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(e).
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic carcinoma of the colon
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2005
- Citation
- 0502246
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 0502246.
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
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