The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his fatal rectal carcinoma was caused by exposure to herbicide agents (including Agent Orange) during service. The decision is based on a presumption of exposure due to the Veteran's service in the Republic of Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran served offshore of the Republic of Vietnam and was presumed to have been exposed to herbicide agents, including Agent Orange, during his service. A medical opinion supported the conclusion that his rectal carcinoma was caused by this exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic rectal carcinoma, liver metastasis, lung metastasis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20002027
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20002027.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for an additional opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death, specifically addressing exposure to various toxins during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death is related to service exposure, but further development is needed to obtain his complete SPRs and a medical opinion regarding the etiology of his causes of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to obtain relevant Department of Defense reports, which could help determine if the Veteran's job duties and living quarters placed him near the perimeter of Udorn Air Base where herbicides were used.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the possible link between the Veteran's in-service exposure and his death, as well as the possible link between his service-connected urethritis and his fatal conditions.
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