The Veteran's cause of death, colon cancer, was determined to be due to his exposure to Agent Orange during service. The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death based on this presumption.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion established that the Veteran's herbicide exposure in Vietnam caused his colon cancer, which contributed to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- colon cancer, metastases to liver, metastases to lung, metastases to bone, metastases to peritoneum
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005902
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,762 · Granted: 24% (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 20005902.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of death and its relation to service. The Veteran's atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and colon cancer are being evaluated for their relationship to toxic exposure during service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection for colon cancer and liver cancer is granted due to the relationship between his in-service toxic exposures, including burn pits. His liver cancer was found to be related to his now service-connected colon cancer.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for colon cancer, finding that his current diagnosis of colon cancer is related to toxic exposures in service and resolving any reasonable doubt in his favor.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for colon cancer, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current diagnosis and his military service, including any conceded exposure to toxic substances.
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