The Veteran's service connection claims for various disabilities, including those secondary to cancer of the larynx, are denied as there is no direct evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: There is no direct evidence showing that the Veteran's current disabilities were incurred or aggravated by his military service. The claim is based on secondary service connection due to a service-connected condition (cancer of the larynx), but the evidence does not support this as well.
- Claimed conditions
- cancer of the larynx, limitation of motion and decreased strength of the right arm, fatigue/lack of energy, hoarse/gravelly voice, neck scars, hypothyroidism, neuropathy of the neck and face, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, xerostomia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19124919
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 a deviated septum and denied compensable ratings for allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, hypothyroidism, and hypertension.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hypothyroidism, as it is presumptively linked to herbicide agent exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial compensable disability rating for service-connected hypothyroidism and remanded the claim for service connection for lipomas (claimed as cysts surgery).
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hypothyroidism secondary to in-service toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) based on the Veteran's conceded in-service jet fuel fumes exposure.
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