The Board concluded that the veteran's current cancer of the tongue and floor of the mouth, including his laryngeal cancer, may be considered an airway-related cancer due to his service in Vietnam and exposure to herbicides. The decision grants service connection for these conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA medical evidence supports a finding that the veteran's current cancers are related to his military service and exposure to Agent Orange during his time in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- carcinoma of the tongue, metastasis, carcinoma of the larynx
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2003
- Citation
- 0303316
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,643 · Granted: 15% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0303316.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for carcinoma of the larynx was dismissed due to failure to comply with claims processing rules. The claim for hypertension was remanded for a VA medical opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for carcinoma of the tongue is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. The VA must obtain and associate with the claims file any outstanding private treatment records from Dr. Tijani or his oncologist, and request a medical opinion regarding whether the cancer had its clinical onset during active-duty service or is otherwise etiologically related to it, including exposure to an herbicide agent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for carcinoma of the tongue, finding that a VA medical opinion is needed to address the etiology of his condition and considering whether it is at least as likely as not attributable to his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inaccuracies in the exposure report and a need for further research into the Veteran's claimed exposures. The Veteran is seeking service connection for throat cancer, but his claims are being held up because of discrepancies in his military records regarding his alleged exposure to chemical or biological agents.
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