The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the right base of the tongue is not service connected due to lack of evidence showing it was caused or aggravated by his military service, including presumed exposure to herbicide agents. His residuals are also not service-connected as they do not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's cancer and its residuals were not shown to be related to his military service, particularly given the lack of evidence of direct or secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the right base of the tongue, damage to teeth, difficulty with prolonged speech, difficulty eating certain foods due to dry mouth
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 21, 2016
- Citation
- 1647497
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 1647497.
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.
- 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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