The Veteran died from metastatic squamous cell cancer of the parotid gland, which was not service-connected and is not presumed to be related to herbicide exposure. The Board denied service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the parotid gland was directly related to an injury or disease during service, including hypothetical herbicide exposure in Thailand, and there is no indication that it manifested within one year of separation from service. Service connection was also denied on a presumptive basis due to lack of evidence linking the condition to herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic squamous cell cancer of parotid gland
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2016
- Citation
- 1601281
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 1601281.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cause of death is being reviewed due to his lung cancer and parotid cancer. The VA will verify if the Veteran had qualifying service in Vietnam for herbicide exposure, and seek a medical opinion on whether his lung cancer caused or contributed to his death.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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