The Veteran's service records do not show any diagnosis of Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) or Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Right Neck. The Board finds that there is no current disability for IHD and denies this claim.,Regarding Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Right Neck, the Veteran was diagnosed in 2009 but has not had any recurrence since treatment. The Board does not find evidence to support a connection between Agent Orange exposure and the cancer.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service records do not show any diagnosis of IHD or Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Right Neck, and there is no current disability for either condition.,There is no direct evidence linking the Veteran’s Squamous Cell Carcinoma to Agent Orange exposure. The Board finds that the cancer was diagnosed in 2009 and has not recurred since treatment.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (likely referring to Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety Disorder), Autonomic Neuropathy also claimed as Peripheral Neuropathy, Cervical Spine Injury with Residual Degenerative Joint Disease, Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) also claimed as Parkinson’s disease, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Right Neck
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19114481
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19114481.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a heart disability and hypertension due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors. The AOJ is required to obtain addendum medical opinions regarding toxic exposure risk activities (TERA).
- Granted
The Board has restored service connection for Ischemic Heart Disease, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Diabetes Mellitus type II, Chronic Kidney Disease, Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy of the lower left extremity sciatic nerve, Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy of the lower right extremity sciatic nerve, and Hypertension. The Board found that the original grant of service connection was not clearly erroneous due to the Veteran's exposure along the DMZ in Korea.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for ischemic heart disease prior to March 19, 2024 was denied. From March 19, 2024, the Veteran is rated at 60 percent for IHD and TDIU claims are not granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent prior to April 18, 2022 for Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) was denied.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent from April 18, 2022 to December 22, 2022 for IHD is pending and requires further development.
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