The Board denied service connection for the cause of death and DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1151, finding that the Veteran's fatal cancer was not caused by VA care or treatment.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion found no causal link between the perforated colon in 2004 and the subsequent development of rectal cancer which led to death.
- Claimed conditions
- malignant pleural effusion, metastatic rectal cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2018
- Citation
- 1814405
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1814405.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to fire suppression chemicals during service, which may be related to his cause of death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's hypertension and coronary artery disease, which may have contributed to his cause of death.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's diffused large B-cell lymphoma stage 4 disability is related to service exposure, and secondary disabilities such as malignant pleural effusion, type 2 diabetes mellitus, gout, sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and persistent depressive disorder are also related to this primary condition.,The Veteran's diffused large B-cell lymphoma stage 4 disability is a direct result of service exposure.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that the Veteran's causes of death were acute myeloid leukemia and metastatic rectal cancer, and neither hypertension nor coronary artery disease caused or contributed to his death.
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