The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by a service-connected condition, and thus denied the claim for cause of death.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish that the Veteran's cancer was related to his military service or any service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2014
- Citation
- 1402537
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 1402537.
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: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma, finding that it was caused by exposure to contaminated water at Camp LeJeune during his military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma and dysphagia as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma.,Service connection was established based on direct evidence, with no presumption of exposure or disease association.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma and dysphagia due to service connection issues, specifically regarding herbicide exposure. The case will be reviewed again with a new medical opinion.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma and dysphagia are being remanded due to inadequate opinions in the previous VA examination. The Veteran needs to provide additional evidence, and a new examination is required to determine if his conditions are related to his period of service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.