The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and therefore denied his claim for service connection for the cause of his death.
The deciding factor: There is no competent evidence showing that the Veteran's rectal cancer was etiologically related to his service.
- Claimed conditions
- rectal cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 6, 2015
- Citation
- 1500311
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1500311.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's rectal cancer is related to his active duty service and exposure to Agent Orange. The Board granted service connection for the condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for rectal cancer and the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected disability.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for colorectal cancer, finding that the evidence did not establish a chronic condition in service or a relationship to service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's rectal cancer is related to his presumed in-service exposure to herbicides, specifically Agent Orange. The decision grants service connection for this condition.
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