The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current throat disability, including larynx cancer and vocal cord dysplasia, and his service. A new VA examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to herbicide exposure during service.
The deciding factor: Insufficient medical evidence was provided to support a finding of direct causation or presumptive service connection for the Veteran's throat disability based on herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- throat disability, larynx cancer, vocal cord dysplasia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19148184
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 19148184.
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.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeal for service connection and increased rating for larynx cancer was dismissed due to untimeliness.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for multiple disabilities, including right and left wrist, hand, hip, ankle, elbow, respiratory, chest pain, hypotension, and throat conditions. However, the Board granted service connection for a respiratory disability, diagnosed as dyspnea.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the left and right eye disabilities, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, musculoskeletal disabilities of the neck/upper back and mid/lower back, left knee disability, right knee disability, sinus disability, sleep disturbance, and throat disability as there was no evidence of a superimposed injury or disease during service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for esophageal cancer, benign prostate hypertrophy, and erectile dysfunction secondary to the now service-connected benign prostate hypertrophy. The claims for larynx cancer, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, diabetes, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and a stomach disorder were denied.
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