The veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the surviving spouse is not entitled to DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.
The deciding factor: The cause of death (hepatic/respiratory failure due to metastatic colon cancer) was not related to any service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Anxiety reaction, Metastatic colon cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 17, 2006
- Citation
- 0625322
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 0625322.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and DIC benefits because the Regional Office failed to obtain a VA medical opinion to determine whether the veteran's service-connected disabilities caused, contributed to, or aggravated his death from metastatic colon cancer. The Board found a reasonable possibility that a medical opinion would aid in substantiating the claim, particularly regarding whether alcohol use disorder was a risk factor for the colon cancer.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for metastatic colon cancer as the Veteran's cause of death to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the etiology of the condition, considering all applicable military deployments and toxic exposure risk activities.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for the cause of death and granted it, finding that the Veteran's anxiety reaction caused or aggravated his heart conditions leading to his death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his metastatic colon cancer was due to exposure to an herbicide agent during active military service in Vietnam.
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