The Veteran's cause of death was not due to a service-connected condition, and the cancers were not attributable to Agent Orange exposure. The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The cancers were metastatic from previously diagnosed colorectal cancer, and there is no evidence linking them to Agent Orange exposure or any other service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic cancer, colorectal cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2013
- Citation
- 1318071
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 1318071.
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.
- Dismissed
Your appeal has been dismissed because the Veteran died during the pendency of your appeal. As a result, no decision can be made on your claims.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for colorectal cancer, a disability rating more than 60 percent for nephrosclerosis associated with type II diabetes mellitus, TDIU, and an earlier effective date for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's colorectal cancer is granted on a direct basis. The Board has also remanded for further examination and opinion regarding his GI disorders, including diverticulitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's throat cancer, which was caused by asbestos exposure in service, led to his fatal metastatic cancer. The VA is instructed to obtain a new VA opinion addressing these theories.
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