The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected ankylosing spondylitis caused his ulcerative colitis, which in turn contributed to his death from cancer. The Board finds that the colitis had a material influence in accelerating the veteran's death and grants service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the severity of the veteran's ankylosing spondylitis caused his ulcerative colitis, which contributed to his death from cancer. The Board also determined that the colitis had a material influence in accelerating the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- carcinoma of the esophagus, carcinoma of the lung, colitis with gastrointestinal bleeding
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 27, 2006
- Citation
- 0639924
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 0639924.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking lung cancer to his active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
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- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, carcinoma of the lung, is granted as service-connected due to presumed exposure to herbicides during his Navy service in Vietnam.
- Granted
The Board has restored the service connection for cause of death and DEA benefits, finding that ischemic heart disease substantially contributed to the Veteran's death.
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