The Veteran's right and left shoulder disabilities are granted, but his tongue cancer is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to in-service exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran submitted new and material evidence showing current diagnoses for his right and left shoulders. His tongue cancer was not linked to Agent Orange exposure or service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Arthritis, Left Shoulder Arthritis, Tongue Cancer
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 26, 2018
- Citation
- 18114069
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 18114069.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions at the time of the June and August 2025 decisions. The cases will be returned to the AOJ for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error in the initial disability rating for right shoulder arthritis. The Veteran needs an addendum medical opinion regarding additional lost range of motion during painful flare-ups.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for his left shoulder disability and bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to the Veteran requesting to withdraw the appeal for left shoulder scars.,For the period on appeal, the Veteran's left shoulder disability is manifested by limitation of motion at shoulder level with flexion and/or abduction limited to 90 degrees. The Veteran's other impairment of humerus did not manifest by fibrous union, nonunion, or loss of head.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder disability, finding that his current condition is related to his active military service and not due to any pre-existing condition. The decision also notes that he had no injuries or events during service but did experience pain and stiffness in his left shoulder which worsened over time.
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