The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death, cardiorespiratory arrest due to squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, is not related to his military service and no service-connected disability contributed substantially or materially to his death.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish a link between the Veteran's death and any service-connected condition, including squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx which was linked to Agent Orange exposure but not smoking. The cardiorespiratory arrest is also not related to military service.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, cardiorespiratory arrest
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 25, 2016
- Citation
- 1607393
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 1607393.
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 death was caused by cardiorespiratory arrest and metastatic esophageal cancer. The appellant is recognized as the surviving spouse, but service connection for cause of death remains pending due to insufficient information on in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's cardiorespiratory arrest to his military service or a service-connected disability.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and the Board found insufficient evidence to establish a connection between his conditions and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of sufficient VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death and whether his coronary artery disease caused or contributed to his death.
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