The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, concluding that his squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx was caused by presumed exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam service.
The deciding factor: The attending physicians opined that the veteran's cancer of the oropharynx was caused by his presumed exposure to Agent Orange, and a specialist in Agent Orange at the VAMC concurred with this conclusion based on the known association between herbicide exposure and cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2009
- Citation
- 0906726
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (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 0906726.
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 case due to a duty-to-assist error, requiring an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed residuals of squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, finding that it is related to presumed herbicide agent exposure during active duty service. The decision is based on medical opinions and evidence from a study showing higher rates of oral cavity and pharynx cancer in Korean and Australian Vietnam veterans.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx and base of the tongue, finding that it is etiologically related to the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with tobacco and alcohol use disorders.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx as due to exposure to herbicides, finding that the Veteran's cancer was more likely related to his smoking history rather than Agent Orange exposure.
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