The Board found that the veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity did not have a direct connection to his service, and therefore denied service connection for the cause of his death.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence linking the veteran's fatal condition to any incident during service or to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2007
- Citation
- 0739709
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 0739709.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for clarification on whether the Veteran's lung cancer is primary or metastatic from his oral cavity, and if it is metastatic, to determine its etiology related to in-service herbicide exposure.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, with the exception of a throat disability related to cancer surgery. The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether his squamous cell carcinoma and other conditions are related to exposure to chemicals at Camp Lejeune.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for an opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death, specifically whether his service-connected conditions contributed to his cancer and ultimately caused his death.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity is found to be related to his exposure to herbicides in service, and thus service connection is granted.
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