The Board granted entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1310 for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his colon cancer was related to toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) while serving at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The evidence in favor of the claim includes a VA opinion and a non-VA provider's opinion that the Veteran's colon cancer was caused by his service at Camp Lejeune, with the VA opinion being considered more probative due to its comprehensive review of all potential exposures and risk factors.
- Claimed conditions
- Colon cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2025
- Citation
- A25045572
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.
- 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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