The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx is found to be related to his active service, specifically his exposure to environmental exposures while serving as an aircraft mechanic and working on the flight line. Service connection for this condition is granted.
The deciding factor: Medical opinions provided by treating physicians link the Veteran's laryngeal cancer to his military service due to lack of usual risk factors such as smoking or alcohol abuse, despite there being no evidence of herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2015
- Citation
- 1500104
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 1500104.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his military service and the cancer.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to obtain and maintain gainful employment, warranting a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx was granted with an effective date of March 31, 2014. The Board found that no earlier effective date is warranted as the evidence did not support such a finding.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for increased disability rating and service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions.
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