The Veteran's thyroid cancer was not incurred in or aggravated by active duty, nor may it be presumed to be related to active duty due to exposure to ionizing radiation. The Board found the Director of Environmental Health's opinion more probative than the private physicians' opinions.
The deciding factor: The Director of Environmental Health determined that it is unlikely that the Veteran's thyroid cancer was caused by exposure to ionizing radiation, including depleted uranium, while in military service based on a dose estimate and considering various factors such as age, gender, time since reported exposure, and post-service carcinogen exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Thyroid Cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 17, 2014
- Citation
- 1432187
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 1432187.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for thyroid cancer, finding that the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his military service is related to his condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's thyroid cancer was granted a 100% rating effective December 28, 2021. The claim for increased thyroid cancer ratings is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded both the service connection claims for thyroid cancer residuals and hypothyroidism due to potential exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam, as well as contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The Veteran will need a TERA-specific examination to assess his total exposure through all deployments.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Myelodysplastic Syndrome, Prostate Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, and Parkinson's Disease based on new and relevant evidence of exposure to toxic chemicals during active service.
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