The Board has determined that the Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the right base of the tongue is related to his service in Vietnam, specifically exposure to Agent Orange. As such, the claim for service connection is granted.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence supports a link between the Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma and his confirmed exposure to Agent Orange during service in the Republic of Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the right base of the tongue
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 22, 2016
- Citation
- 1637184
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 1637184.
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.
- Partly granted
The veteran is granted a 30% rating for dysphagia but denied a higher rating for squamous cell carcinoma.
- Granted
The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim of service connection for headaches, secondary to his service-connected anxiety disorder NOS with features of PTSD, was granted. The appeal for service connection for asbestosis and petitions to reopen claims for tinnitus, squamous cell carcinoma of the right base of the tongue, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) were dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's tongue cancer is related to his exposure to herbicide agents during service.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran died from metastatic squamous cell carcinoma to the lungs, which was not a disability of service origin and did not contribute substantially or materially to his cause of death. The claim for service connection for the cause of death is denied.
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