The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for residuals of lymph node cancer, including loss of tonsils, voice box, tongue, and teeth, due to asbestos exposure. The claims are being reviewed again as part of a new examination.
The deciding factor: The previous medical opinions did not account for the Veteran's history of tobacco use, which may have affected his cancer diagnosis and treatment.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of tonsils, loss of voice box, loss of tongue, loss of teeth
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19100613
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for loss of teeth for compensation purposes, finding no evidence of a compensable dental disability incurred in service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a dental disability manifested by loss of teeth for compensation purposes, as there was no evidence that the loss of teeth was due to loss of substance of the body of the maxilla or mandible through trauma or disease such as osteomyelitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of November 23, 2021 for the award of service connection for occlusion of right carotid artery with resulting loss of right eye vision and SMC based on housebound status. The TDIU and DEA claims were denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for loss of teeth, migraines, pituitary tumors, Vitamin D deficiency, degenerative disc disease, and an intestinal disorder due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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