The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the right piriform sinus with massive right neck adenopathy and/or squamous cell carcinoma of the right base of the tongue, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not presumed to be related to his service or herbicide exposure. The claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD was withdrawn by the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma is due to Agent Orange exposure or service, and no other presumptive conditions apply.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the right piriform sinus, massive right neck adenopathy, squamous cell carcinoma of the right base of the tongue
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2012
- Citation
- 1241486
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 1241486.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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: Partly granted
The veteran is granted a 30% rating for dysphagia but denied a higher rating for squamous cell carcinoma.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim of service connection for headaches, secondary to his service-connected anxiety disorder NOS with features of PTSD, was granted. The appeal for service connection for asbestosis and petitions to reopen claims for tinnitus, squamous cell carcinoma of the right base of the tongue, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) were dismissed.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's tongue cancer is related to his exposure to herbicide agents during service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran died from metastatic squamous cell carcinoma to the lungs, which was not a disability of service origin and did not contribute substantially or materially to his cause of death. The claim for service connection for the cause of death is denied.
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