The Veteran's rectal cancer was denied service connection as it is not a presumptive condition and there is no direct evidence linking the condition to his military service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: Rectal cancer could not be linked to service due to lack of in-service diagnosis or treatment and because the medical opinion concluded that rectal cancer was not caused by exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Claimed conditions
- rectal cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19115290
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 19115290.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence linking rectal cancer to his active military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for service connection for rectal cancer and various types of neuropathy, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's active duty service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for rectal cancer, finding that the evidence did not support a link between his in-service radiation exposure and his current condition. The claim for service connection for mitral valve prolapse was remanded for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for rectal cancer, finding that the Veteran's exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) during active duty was at least as likely as not related to his diagnosis.
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