The Veteran's death was caused by his rectal cancer with metastasis to the liver, lung, and stomach. The Board found that service connection is not warranted for the cause of death due to a lack of evidence linking the cancer to herbicide exposure or service.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was no direct link between the Veteran's rectal cancer and his presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam, as well as insufficient evidence to establish a connection with service.
- Claimed conditions
- rectal cancer, bacteremia secondary to pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19144570
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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