The Board finds that the Veteran's throat cancer and psychiatric disorder are not related to service, including exposure to herbicides or asbestos. The claim for an increased evaluation of lumbar spine disability is addressed in a separate remand.
The deciding factor: There is no credible evidence linking the Veteran's current conditions to his military service, particularly given his long history of smoking which could be a contributing factor to his throat cancer and psychiatric disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- throat cancer, psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 7, 2013
- Citation
- 1325023
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 1325023.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the appellant's request for direct payment of attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in an April 2025 rating decision, as the decision was not a result of a valid appeal and did not award any past-due benefits.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and SMC based on housebound status and aid and attendance, with the initial decisions being in February and June 2023. The appellant is eligible to attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in September 2024.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for lung cancer is denied. The claim for throat cancer is granted, and the Veteran is awarded a TDIU rating prior to August 10, 2022.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection of psychiatric disorder. Service connection was granted for heart condition, throat condition, and hypertension due to herbicide exposure in Japan. Diabetes condition is denied as there is no evidence of treatment or diagnosis.
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