The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for the cause of his death and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) due to lack of evidence linking the cancer to service.
The deciding factor: Service connection was not granted as there was no evidence showing that the squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue was related to service, including any in-service exposure to herbicide agents. The veteran did not have a permanent total disability due to a service-connected condition at the time of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 1, 2005
- Citation
- 0532471
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0532471.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death is due to metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, which was caused by exposure to Agent Orange during service. Service connection for this condition is granted. However, the Veteran did not meet the criteria for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 due to lack of continuous total disability rating.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue was not caused or contributed to by his military service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and his tongue cancer is not presumed to be related to Agent Orange exposure. The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development due to conflicting medical opinions and unclear service records. The Veteran's cause of death is under review, as well as his eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance.
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