The Veteran's fatigue as a residual of his squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsillar fossa is granted a separate rating.,His hyposmia does not warrant an increased rating, as it has been rated at 10 percent since January 9, 2006.,His hypogeusia remains at 10 percent since January 9, 2006.,The post surgical scar on the left side of the neck is granted a disability rating of 30 percent effective from January 9, 2006.,The painful status post surgical scar on the left side of the neck remains at 10 percent since January 9, 2006.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports that fatigue is a residual of his squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsillar fossa and is rated under Diagnostic Code 4.88b for chronic fatigue syndrome.,There is no complete loss of sense of smell, so he does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 6275.,The Veteran's hypogeusia has been assigned the maximum schedular rating (10%) since January 9, 2006 and there is no legal basis to award a higher schedular evaluation.,The post surgical scar on the left side of the neck meets the criteria for a 30% disability rating under Diagnostic Code 7800 due to its characteristics of disfigurement (hyperpigmentation, induration, inflexibility).,The painful status post surgical scar on the left side of the neck is rated at 10% since January 9, 2006.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsillar fossa, fatigue, hypogeusia (sense of taste), post surgical scar on the left side of the neck, painful status post surgical scar on the left side of the neck
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- June 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19146419
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (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 19146419.
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
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- Granted
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) and remanded the secondary service connection claims for GERD, hypertension, sleep apnea, gastritis, headaches, and fatigue as secondary to CAN.
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