The Board denied service connection for metastatic squamous cell cancer of the neck, throat, tongue, and shoulder muscles due to lack of evidence linking it to service or any recognized presumptive conditions.
The deciding factor: Service connection could not be established as the Veteran did not have a disease listed in the Agent Orange presumption list, nor was there sufficient evidence to support radiation exposure claims. The cancer was first diagnosed over three decades after service and no direct link between service and the condition was found.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the neck, metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 24, 2018
- Citation
- 18120611
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 18120611.
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 claim for service connection for cause of death due to metastatic squamous cell carcinoma, finding that there was no direct evidence linking the condition to service or exposure to herbicides.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for throat cancer, including cancer of the base of the tongue and neck, is being remanded due to his failure to report for a VA examination. The issue will be reconsidered after scheduling another examination.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for throat cancer, including cancer of the base of the tongue and neck, is being remanded due to a need for additional development. The issue will be reconsidered after further examination and review.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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