The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA medical opinion regarding the origin of the Veteran's terminal colon cancer and its relationship to service, including herbicide exposure. The appellant will need to provide a supplemental statement of the case after further development.
The deciding factor: The April 2014 VA physician's opinion was not supported with adequate rationale rooted in medical principles, particularly regarding the origin of the primary cancer site and its relationship to service.
- Claimed conditions
- terminal colon cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2014
- Citation
- 1438351
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 1438351.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The veteran died of terminal colon cancer, but was not service-connected for any disability at the time. The claim is denied as there was insufficient evidence to support an award of nonservice-connected pension.
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- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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