The Board granted earlier effective dates of September 3, 2021, for service connection for COPD, colon cancer, colectomy scar, and eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.
The deciding factor: The Veteran continuously pursued the claims since filing a supplemental claim on September 3, 2021, and the awards of service connection were not based on a liberalizing law.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with obstructive sleep apnea (COPD), colon cancer, partial colectomy scar (colectomy scar)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 1, 2025
- Citation
- A25029635
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 remands the claim for service connection of colon cancer, claimed as due to exposure to asbestos, for an addendum opinion considering additional evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for colon cancer as the evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's current condition and their in-service toxic exposure risk activity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for colon cancer to obtain a medical opinion on its etiology, particularly regarding exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the claims.
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