The Board has granted service connection for residuals of squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth, tongue and throat (cancer) and blocked artery of the neck as secondary to cancer. The evidence is at least in equipoise that the Veteran's cancer is causally related to his active duty service at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The Board found new and material evidence within one year of the original April 2014 rating decision, which included medical opinions from private physicians linking the Veteran’s cancer to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The Board also noted that the Veteran's blocked artery was a direct result of radiation treatments for his cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth, tongue and throat, blocked artery of the neck
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19103577
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.
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The Veteran is granted an effective date of August 10, 2022, for the grant of service connection for sinusitis based on the PACT Act.
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The Board granted service connection for left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding that the conditions are related to in-service herbicide agent exposure.
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