The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to March 12, 2009.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was capable of performing sedentary duties with some limitations and had useful skills beyond his GED education that could have been applied in other areas of employment.
- Claimed conditions
- throat cancer, esophageal stricture due to throat cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) due to throat cancer, hypothyroidism due to throat cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 7, 2017
- Citation
- 1756581
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 1756581.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the appellant's request for direct payment of attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in an April 2025 rating decision, as the decision was not a result of a valid appeal and did not award any past-due benefits.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for lung cancer is denied. The claim for throat cancer is granted, and the Veteran is awarded a TDIU rating prior to August 10, 2022.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tonsillar cancer (claimed as throat and respiratory cancer) due to a lack of evidence showing that his condition began during active service or is related to an in-service injury or disease, including presumed exposure to herbicide agents and contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for throat cancer service connection was dismissed due to their death during the appeal process.
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