The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death due to new and material evidence. However, the case is remanded as additional medical opinions are needed regarding the etiology of the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: Additional medical opinions are required to address the etiology of the Veteran's cause of death, including whether service-connected heart condition contributed to death and if any acquired psychiatric disorder or alcohol abuse played a role in his cancer development and subsequent metastasis.
- Claimed conditions
- colon cancer, liver metastasis
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19100534
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the claims.
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