The Board has granted service connection for the veteran's residuals of a para-trachea tumor involving the trachea and esophagus due to presumed exposure to herbicides in Vietnam. The other claims remain pending.
The deciding factor: The veteran served in Vietnam and was exposed to herbicides, which is presumed to have caused his cancer of the tongue and para-tracheal tumor. His hearing loss and kidney stones are not service-connected.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of para-trachea tumor involving the trachea and esophagus, cancer of the tongue, nephrolithiasis (kidney stones), hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 13, 2004
- Citation
- 0418538
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,421 · Granted: 29% (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 0418538.
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 has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus. However, it was determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus for VA purposes, thus denying both claims.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial 30 percent rating for nephrolithiasis (kidney stones) is granted. The appeal of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is dismissed, as the claim was previously adjudicated and granted in a prior decision. The left knee Baker's cyst issue remains pending and requires further action.
- Denied
The Veteran's tinnitus and hearing loss claims are denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.,The Veteran's high cholesterol, dementia, stroke, prostate cancer, cataracts, diabetes, hypertension, CHF, and myocardial infarction claims are denied due to lack of service connection evidence or insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the disabilities and active duty service.,The Veteran was exposed to toxins during his military service but there is no evidence linking these exposures to any of the claimed conditions.
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