The Board denied service connection for rectal cancer, mitral valve prolapse, and pulmonary hypertension. The claims were based on the Veteran's exposure to ionizing radiation during his military service, but no definitive evidence was provided to support a causal link between the conditions and this exposure.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions did not establish a clear connection between the Veteran's rectal cancer, mitral valve prolapse, or pulmonary hypertension and his in-service exposure to ionizing radiation.
- Claimed conditions
- rectal cancer, mitral valve prolapse, pulmonary hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20065341
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 940 · Granted: 21% (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 20065341.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bicuspid aortic valve and mitral valve prolapse, finding that the Veteran's heart disability was aggravated by military service.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the claim for service connection of a heart disability (mitral valve prolapse) due to new and relevant evidence, finding that it was aggravated by military service. Service connection is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of adequate examination, and further evaluation is needed to determine if the Veteran's heart disability had its onset during active service or is related to any incident of service.
- Granted
The Veteran's rectal cancer is related to his active duty service and exposure to Agent Orange. The Board granted service connection for the condition.
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