The Veteran's tongue cancer, presumed to be related to service, metastasized and caused his lung cancer death. The Board grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The independent expert medical opinion concluded there was at least a 50% probability that the lung cancer was a metastasis from the original head and neck cancer (tongue cancer).
- Claimed conditions
- T3, N1 squamous cell carcinoma of the right oral tongue, squamous cell carcinoma of the lung
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 7, 2011
- Citation
- 1125601
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 1125601.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, acknowledging that the evidence was at least in equipoise regarding the relationship between the veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and his current condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically regarding an inadequate medical opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. The AOJ is required to obtain an addendum medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's lung cancer is at least as likely as not caused by his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient employment information provided by the Veteran, and further development is needed to clarify dates of employment and request for employment information from American Airlines.
- Denied
The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and COPD have been rated at 60 percent since March 1, 2018. The Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted for this period.
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