The appeal is remanded to obtain a medical opinion on the relationship between the Veteran's carcinoma of the left tonsil and service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to address whether the Veteran's carcinoma of the left tonsil was caused by or had its onset during service or due to in-service exposure to Agent Orange.
- Claimed conditions
- Arteriosclerotic heart disease, Carcinoma of the left tonsil
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2009
- Citation
- 0911524
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating higher than 60 percent for the Veteran's heart disabilities and granted service connection for major vascular neurocognitive disorder, but denied special monthly compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(l).
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 100 percent disability rating for arteriosclerotic heart disease from April 19, 2021 to September 5, 2024 and denied a higher rating thereafter.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including arteriosclerotic heart disease and PTSD, preclude him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease was granted a permanent and total 100 percent evaluation from May 4, 2018, but no earlier. Special monthly compensation at the housebound rate was also granted from August 17, 2022, but no earlier.
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