The Board has decided that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's colorectal carcinoma was related to his service, specifically his exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. The case is being remanded for a VA medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is insufficient evidence to determine whether the cause of death (colorectal carcinoma) is related to service and presumed herbicide agent exposure without additional development.
- Claimed conditions
- colorectal carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19171215
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 19171215.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for colorectal carcinoma, liver cancer as secondary to colorectal carcinoma, and lung cancer as secondary to colorectal carcinoma.
- Granted
The Veteran's colorectal carcinoma, following large intestine resection, is granted a maximum 40 percent rating.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew his appeal regarding service connection for colorectal carcinoma, including due to inservice exposure to herbicides.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death due to colorectal carcinoma, finding that it was not caused by his military service or exposure to Agent Orange. The DIC claim under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 was also denied as the veteran did not have a service-connected disability rated at 100% for 10 years prior to death.
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