The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his squamous cell cancer was caused by exposure to herbicide agents during his military service in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The positive nexus opinions from qualified medical experts supported the claim that the Veteran's squamous cell cancer was proximately due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents while serving in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell cancer of the head and neck
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19148822
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (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 19148822.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the claim for service connection for cause of death to consider new evidence regarding coronary artery disease and hypertension as potential causes of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received since the August 2009 rating decision, warranting readjudication of the previously denied claim for service connection for squamous cell cancer of the head and neck. The case is being remanded to allow for further examination and consideration.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board is remanding the case for further development to determine if the veteran was exposed to Agent Orange and to clarify the primary site of his fatal cancer.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.