The Board found that the evidence did not support a connection between the Veteran's death and his period of active service, including any in-service throat condition or rheumatic heart disease.
The deciding factor: There was no competent medical evidence linking the Veteran's cancer of the larynx to an in-service event or incident. The first diagnosis of both conditions occurred many years after separation from service, and lay statements did not provide a sufficient nexus.
- Claimed conditions
- cancer of the larynx, rheumatic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 27, 2009
- Citation
- 0907340
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,035 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0907340.
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: Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including alopecia areata, hidradenitis suppurativa, arthritis, cancer of the larynx, pulmonary embolism, peripheral neuropathy in both upper and lower extremities, renal cell cancer, and sleep apnea, as there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's active service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board restored the 100 percent rating for cancer of the larynx and granted special monthly compensation based on statutory housebound status.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The veteran's claim for service connection for rheumatic heart disease was granted. The claim for hypertensive vascular disease was remanded.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for glaucoma, Parkinson's disease, and dementia due to potential TERA exposure. The rating for bilateral hearing loss is also being remanded.
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