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
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2005
- Citation
- 0502246
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,440 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0502246.
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: Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was metastatic carcinoma of the colon, but hypertension is not considered a contributory cause. The Board found that there was no evidence to support a connection between the Veteran's service-connected conditions and his death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions and records, as well as provide the Appellant with proper notice. The cause of death claim will be adjudicated in conjunction with the burial benefits claim.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has reopened the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her father's death due to new and material evidence. The Veteran was exposed to ionizing radiation in Hiroshima during World War II, but there is no direct evidence linking his colon cancer to this exposure.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to lack of evidence linking his terminal cancer to military service. The appellant submitted new evidence but it was not material as it did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate her claim.
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