The cause of the Veteran's death was not incurred in or aggravated by active duty service, nor may it be presumed to have been incurred in service.
The deciding factor: There were no objective findings of oropharyngeal carcinoma in the competent medical evidence and the long evidentiary gap between active service and the earliest competent medical evidence of the Veteran's condition tends to show that this disability did not have its onset in service or for many years thereafter.
- Claimed conditions
- Oropharyngeal carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 18, 2012
- Citation
- 1201851
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 1201851.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's oropharyngeal carcinoma, which was the cause of his death, is found to be service-connected as it is not a respiratory cancer and there is no evidence linking it to Agent Orange exposure. As a result, the appellant's claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 is rendered moot.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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