The Board has determined that the veteran's rectal cancer, first diagnosed many years after service discharge, is not related to his period of active military service and thus cannot be granted service connection.
The deciding factor: The earliest clinical indication of rectal cancer was in 2002, almost 20 years following the veteran's discharge from service. The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's colorectal cancer to any incident or incidents during his period of active military service.
- Claimed conditions
- rectal cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 21, 2005
- Citation
- 0534458
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 0534458.
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 Veteran's rectal cancer is related to his active duty service and exposure to Agent Orange. The Board granted service connection for the condition.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for rectal cancer and the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected disability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for colorectal cancer, finding that the evidence did not establish a chronic condition in service or a relationship to service.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's rectal cancer is related to his presumed in-service exposure to herbicides, specifically Agent Orange. The decision grants service connection for this condition.
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