The Veteran's service connection for oropharyngeal cancer was restored, with the condition being presumed due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. However, this presumption is not applicable as there is no evidence of a positive association between herbicide exposure and oropharyngeal cancer.
The deciding factor: There is no clear and unmistakable error in the original grant of service connection for oropharyngeal cancer based on presumed exposure to herbicides.
- Claimed conditions
- oropharyngeal cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2011
- Citation
- 1142712
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1142712.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for oropharyngeal cancer, finding that it is not related to his in-service exposure and instead caused by his long-term tobacco use.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's oropharyngeal cancer with soft palate reconstruction is granted service connection, and the claim for a dental disability secondary to this condition is remanded.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for oropharyngeal cancer, cervical node involvement of cancer, and loss of taste on a direct basis due to Agent Orange exposure. A rating of 60 percent was assigned for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the Veteran's TDIU claim was also granted.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for oropharyngeal cancer due to a need for a new medical opinion addressing the Veteran's toxic exposures and alcohol abuse as secondary to his service-connected PTSD.
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