The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for nasopharyngeal carcinoma and head and neck cancer, as there is no direct evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active duty service. The Veteran has not provided sufficient evidence to establish exposure to herbicides or asbestos during his service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s current diagnosis of invasive squamous cell carcinoma was more likely due to his smoking history and age, rather than exposure to asbestos or other environmental factors.
- Claimed conditions
- nasopharyngeal carcinoma, head and neck cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 1, 2015
- Citation
- 1550243
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1550243.
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 cause of death due to recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to exposure to herbicides in service, including Agent Orange.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death was due to carcinoma esophagus, with head and neck cancer noted as significant conditions. The Board found that the evidence does not support a connection between in-service herbicide agent exposure and the Veteran's cause of death.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of August 10, 2022, for the award of service connection for nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on the Veteran's claim being filed within one year of the PACT Act's passage.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable rating for papillary thyroid carcinoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but granted service connection for vocal cord paralysis and odynophagia as additional residual disabilities due to the service-connected nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
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