The Veteran's throat cancer residuals are denied as service connection is not established due to lack of evidence linking the condition to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran’s squamous cell carcinoma has an origin consistent with respiratory cancer or can be otherwise directly related to his presumed herbicide exposure in service.
- Claimed conditions
- throat cancer residuals
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19143068
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,506 · Granted: 43% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19143068.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a review to properly determine the severity of the Veteran's throat cancer residuals, including peripheral neuropathy, loss of dentition, dry mouth, hoarseness, GERD, shortness of breath, left pneumothorax, and rhonchi conditions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions to correct duty to assist errors, including obtaining additional medical opinions and evidence.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to Agent Orange exposure, as there was a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding obtaining a TERA medical opinion.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for throat cancer residuals and ischemic heart disease, finding that the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents and pesticides during his service in the Panama Canal Zone is sufficient to establish presumptive service connection.
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