The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a search of his service record and medical opinions to determine if he has or had a respiratory cancer as defined by VA regulations (cancer of the lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea), and whether any identified cancer was related to in-service herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development due to conflicting evidence regarding his claimed respiratory cancer diagnosis and the need for a medical opinion on the relationship between his service-connected condition and his current claim.
- Claimed conditions
- oropharyngeal cancer, squamous cell cancer of the tonsil/base of tongue
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 22, 2014
- Citation
- 1442168
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 1442168.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for oropharyngeal cancer, finding that it is not related to his in-service exposure and instead caused by his long-term tobacco use.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's oropharyngeal cancer with soft palate reconstruction is granted service connection, and the claim for a dental disability secondary to this condition is remanded.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for oropharyngeal cancer, cervical node involvement of cancer, and loss of taste on a direct basis due to Agent Orange exposure. A rating of 60 percent was assigned for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the Veteran's TDIU claim was also granted.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for oropharyngeal cancer due to a need for a new medical opinion addressing the Veteran's toxic exposures and alcohol abuse as secondary to his service-connected PTSD.
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