The Board found no service connection for the cause of death and denied eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits due to lack of a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: Service connection was not established for the cause of death, as there is no evidence linking the metastatic colon carcinoma to service or any presumptive exposure. The appellant did not provide sufficient evidence to establish eligibility for DEA benefits given the absence of a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic colon carcinoma, rectal fissures
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 18, 2006
- Citation
- 0621002
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 0621002.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for hand rash, vision loss based on refractive error, and lumbar spine disability, among other conditions. A separate 10 percent rating was granted for right knee limitation of extension.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death as there was no evidence that metastatic colon carcinoma, the immediate cause of death, was related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that his metastatic colon carcinoma is not related to his military service. The remaining issues (DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318, non-service-connected death pension, and accrued benefits) are being REMANDED as no SOC has been issued.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the claim of entitlement to service connection for rectal fissures due to new and material evidence provided by the veteran, including lay descriptions of in-service symptoms and treatment as well as medical evidence of current disability.
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