The Veteran's colon cancer, which was the underlying cause of death, is found to be related to his exposure to herbicides in service. As a result, the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
The deciding factor: The private opinion by Dr. G. concluded that the Veteran's colon cancer was at least as likely as not caused by his exposure to Agent Orange in service, and this finding is given more weight due to its rationale and supporting medical studies.
- Claimed conditions
- Lung cancer, Liver cancer, Colon cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2017
- Citation
- 1758500
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 1758500.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's headache disability is granted as service-connected. The left foot condition and lung cancer claims are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected colon cancer disability, finding that there is inadequate evidence to support a compensable rating prior to March 23, 2021 and no increase in rating thereafter.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for colon cancer has been granted due to new and relevant evidence received since the previous denial. The Board finds that the Veteran's current disability is a condition that had its onset during his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his lung cancer and military service. The Board also found insufficient evidence to establish service connection for lung cancer.
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