The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to colon cancer, finding that there was no evidence linking the condition to herbicide exposure in service. The preponderance of the evidence indicated a more likely link to known risk factors such as tobacco use and history of polyps.
The deciding factor: The VA physician concluded that the Veteran’s presumed exposure to Agent Orange did not predispose him to develop colon cancer, given his significant risk factors including smoking and prior polyps.
- Claimed conditions
- Colon cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20066474
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a lung disability and a bilateral foot disability based on new evidence, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, and colon cancer.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for colon cancer and individual unemployability (TDIU) due to a duty to assist error, requiring further development of evidence related to toxic exposure activities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death to ensure all reasonably raised theories of entitlement are developed, specifically regarding a direct service connection theory based on complaints in the Veteran's service treatment records.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, colon cancer, arthritis, a respiratory disability (asthma/COPD), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to insufficient evidence of current disabilities or links to service.
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