The Veteran's appeals for service connection for colon cancer and right vocal cord cancer (claimed as throat cancer) were dismissed because the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal before a decision was made by submitting a letter in October 2016, which was subsequent to his death but still effective for withdrawing the appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- colon cancer, right vocal cord cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2018
- Citation
- 18139930
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 18139930.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of colon cancer, claimed as due to exposure to asbestos, for an addendum opinion considering additional evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for colon cancer as the evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's current condition and their in-service toxic exposure risk activity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for colon cancer to obtain a medical opinion on its etiology, particularly regarding exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for residuals of colon cancer and prostate cancer, finding no evidence linking the conditions to the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure.
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