The Veteran's claim for service connection for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, to include as secondary to exposure to Agent Orange, is being remanded due to the need for additional development and review of his medical records.
The deciding factor: Further development is required to obtain an opinion from a VA oncologist regarding the relationship between the Veteran's nasopharyngeal carcinoma and his presumed exposure to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- nasopharyngeal carcinoma, metastatic poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma to large lymph node
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 3, 2009
- Citation
- 0933271
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 0933271.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death due to recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to exposure to herbicides in service, including Agent Orange.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of August 10, 2022, for the award of service connection for nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on the Veteran's claim being filed within one year of the PACT Act's passage.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable rating for papillary thyroid carcinoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but granted service connection for vocal cord paralysis and odynophagia as additional residual disabilities due to the service-connected nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of mouth trauma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma are remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and medical opinions.
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