The Veteran's cause of death, colonic cancer, was not incurred in service and is not etiologically related to service. The Board denied both the claim for service connection for cause of death and non-service connected death pension benefits.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish a direct link between the Veteran’s recognized guerrilla service and his cause of death (colonic cancer).
- Claimed conditions
- colonic cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19117454
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,200 · Granted: 43% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19117454.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for soft tissue carcinoma and cause of death due to service-connected disability. The remand requires obtaining additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's appendiceal cancer, which metastasized to the lungs and bones, and his presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's appendiceal cancer and his service, specifically presumed exposure to herbicide agents. The cause of death claim is inextricably intertwined with the service connection claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a VA opinion regarding the relationship between his appendiceal and colonic cancer, presumed due to herbicide exposure in service, and his active service. Additionally, DIC claims are also being remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and denied nonservice-connected death pension benefits due to lack of evidence linking the cause of death to military service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.