The Board found that the cause of death was metastatic rectal adenocarcinoma, but there is no evidence to support a diagnosis of lung cancer as the cause of death. The Veteran's service connection claim for rectal cancer due to Agent Orange exposure remains denied.
The deciding factor: There is insufficient medical evidence to establish that the lung cancer caused or contributed substantially to the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- rectal adenocarcinoma, brain cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- March 30, 2017
- Citation
- 1710051
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 1710051.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for liver cancer, lung cancer, and brain cancer due to procedural errors in obtaining an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's lung cancer.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was caused by brain cancer and respiratory failure, which the VA medical examiner concluded were not related to his service. The Board found no evidence of asbestos or ionizing radiation exposure causing these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's rectal disorder and colon disorders. The focus is on whether these conditions are related to service or if they are aggravated by a pre-existing condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's brain cancer is granted service connection due to the PACT Act presumption of exposure. His TBI and jaw disability claims are denied.
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