The Board granted service connection for colorectal cancer and service connection for cause of death, dismissed the DIC claim as moot, and remanded claims for service connection for liver cancer, lung cancer, and accrued benefits for further development.
The deciding factor: Service connection for colorectal cancer was granted based on evidence at least evenly balanced regarding causation from the Veteran's exposure to Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) during active duty service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the appellant; service connection for cause of death was granted because the Veteran's now service-connected colorectal cancer was listed as a contributory cause on the death certificate; DIC was dismissed as moot because service connection for cause of death provides a greater benefit; and liver cancer, lung cancer, and accrued benefits were remanded for adequate medical opinions addressing whether these conditions resulted from service or from the service-connected colorectal cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- colorectal cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, cause of death
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 28, 2025
- Citation
- A25018614
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
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 lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of December 12, 2023, for a 50 percent evaluation of bipolar disorder and remanded the other issues for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, including lung cancer and cardio-pulmonary arrest, to address in-service toxic exposures.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals for service connection for various conditions due to a lack of jurisdiction over the claims.
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