The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to squamous cell carcinoma, attributing it to mustard gas exposure during service. However, the claim was not well grounded as there is no evidence linking the cancer to his service-connected disabilities or active military service.
The deciding factor: The veteran's squamous cell carcinoma could not be presumed to have been incurred in service due to mustard gas exposure because there is no competent medical evidence linking it to his service-connected disabilities or his active military service.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 27, 2000
- Citation
- 0011138
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0011138.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma is granted as secondary to his service-connected eczema and psoriasis. The initial compensable evaluation for toenail psoriasis remains denied.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and actinic keratosis as the appeal is considered duplicative of a previous decision.
- Partly granted
The Board has determined that the severance of service connection for neoplasm hard and soft tissue of the mouth was improper, as there is conflicting medical evidence regarding the cause of the condition. The Veteran's conditions are related to his active duty service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to squamous cell carcinoma, finding that there is no evidence linking it to herbicide agent exposure in Vietnam.
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