The Veteran's claim for service connection for metastatic adenocarcinoma, including colon, liver, lungs, and brain cancer, was dismissed due to his death.
The deciding factor: The appeal was dismissed because the Veteran died during the pendency of the appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic adenocarcinoma, colon, liver, lungs, brain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19177535
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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 the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his exposure to asbestos during active duty was a contributing factor.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the case must be remanded to obtain additional information and opinions regarding the Veteran's cause of death, his exposure to asbestos in service, and the relationship between his conditions and his service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical records and a need for a VA opinion regarding the Veteran's metastatic adenocarcinoma, including its presumed connection to Camp Lejeune exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there was no evidence to connect any of the conditions listed on the Veteran's death certificate to service or to a service-connected disability. The Board also found that prostate cancer did not cause or contribute to colon cancer and metastasis.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.