The Board found that the Veteran's tonsillar carcinoma did not occur during service and could not be linked to ionizing radiation exposure. Therefore, service connection for residuals of tonsillar carcinoma was denied.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of an event, injury, or disease related to tonsillar carcinoma that occurred in service, and the Veteran's claim cannot be based on presumptive service connection due to ionizing radiation exposure as his handling of undetonated nuclear weapons does not qualify as a radiation-risk activity.
- Claimed conditions
- tonsillar carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2017
- Citation
- 1701134
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1701134.
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: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tonsillar carcinoma and for death benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus to service and that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for total disability due to his condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied the claim for service connection for tonsillar carcinoma, finding that there is no evidence of chronic tonsillar cancer in service or within a presumptive period. The appellant's contention regarding Agent Orange exposure was not supported by the VA medical opinion and other evidence. Service connection cannot be established on direct or presumptive basis.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the Board found no evidence linking his causes of death to his military service or herbicide exposure.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's tonsillar carcinoma is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and providing an opinion on whether it is related to service, particularly herbicide exposure.
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