The Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected colon cancer, but the VA treatment in 1994 may have contributed to his condition. The Board will decide whether the VA care was substandard and led directly to his death.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion indicates that the polyp noted in 1993 was a manifestation of the 2001 colon cancer, but also suggests that the VA treatment may have contributed to the development of the condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Colon Cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 27, 2011
- Citation
- 1136314
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 1136314.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities were not of such severity to prevent him from securing or following any substantially gainful occupation, and his TDIU claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to insufficient evidence showing that VA's failure to diagnose the Veteran's colon cancer resulted in additional disability.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was due to respiratory failure from lung cancer, which was metastatic from his primary colon cancer. The Board found that the Veteran's lung cancer and colon cancer were not related to service or any in-service exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for colon cancer and hypertension were denied in the April 2024 Board decision. The reduction of his disability rating from 50% to 30% was found proper.
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