The veteran's current diagnosed carcinoma of the right tonsil may be associated with his exposure to Agent Orange during service, but a definitive opinion is needed.
The deciding factor: The VA oncology specialist needs to provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that the veteran's carcinoma of the right tonsil is related to his exposure to Agent Orange during service.
- Claimed conditions
- carcinoma of the right tonsil
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 15, 2005
- Citation
- 0503979
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,592 · Granted: 19% (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 0503979.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claim to reopen service connection for carcinoma of the right tonsil is granted, and the case is remanded for a VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for carcinoma of the right tonsil, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus due to lack of new and material evidence. The claim for carcinoma of the right tonsil was not reopened as there was no new and material evidence received since the last final denial.
- Granted
The Board found that the evidence was at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's carcinoma of the right tonsil is due to exposure to herbicides, and granted service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's carcinoma of the right tonsil was not incurred or aggravated by his active duty service, including exposure to herbicides. The claim is denied.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.