The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that metastatic colon cancer was related to his conceded in-service herbicide exposure under the PACT Act. However, DIC benefits were denied as the Veteran did not meet the criteria for 38 U.S.C. § 1318.
The deciding factor: The Board found a nexus between the Veteran's metastatic colon cancer and his in-service herbicide exposure based on medical opinions that considered relevant literature and evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic colon cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 4, 2025
- Citation
- A25031254
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for eligibility for specially adapted housing, a special home adaptation grant, and financial assistance in purchasing an automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment. The claim of CUE in the September 14, 2017, rating decision was also denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of death, finding that the Veteran's metastatic colon cancer was related to his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during active service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, which was metastatic colon cancer, finding that it was related to his in-service asbestos exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to correct errors in the duty-to-assist process. The Board will consider new evidence on whether the Veteran's service-connected diabetes contributed to his death.
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