The claim to reopen the service connection for papillary cancer of the thyroid is granted, and the case is remanded due to potential toxin exposure.
The deciding factor: New evidence submitted by the Veteran suggests possible toxin exposure at Fort Lewis, Washington and Schofield Barracks, Hawaii in the early 1970s, which may have contributed to the development of papillary cancer of the thyroid.
- Claimed conditions
- papillary cancer of the thyroid
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19164785
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,569 · Granted: 26% (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 19164785.
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 has determined that there was a lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives regarding the issue of entitlement to service connection for papillary cancer of the thyroid. As such, another remand is required.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's papillary cancer of the thyroid is service-connected, as her military service may have contributed to her condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for papillary cancer of the thyroid due to toxin exposure and total disability due to individual unemployability (TDIU) as they are inextricably intertwined. The case is being returned for further development, including verifying the Veteran's claimed exposures during his active duty service.
- Granted
The Veteran's papillary cancer of the thyroid is related to service exposure to Agent Orange while in Vietnam, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.
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