The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals of tonsil cancer, status post tonsillectomy with difficulty swallowing and residual scar in the left tonsillar fossa is denied. The Board found that the Veteran’s symptoms most nearly approximated a 10 percent disability rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms were found to more closely approximate moderate incomplete paralysis of the tenth (pneumogastric, vagus) cranial nerve, but did not meet criteria for higher ratings under other diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- tonsil cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- August 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19164915
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · 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 19164915.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for service connection of tonsil cancer is remanded to obtain a medical opinion on whether the condition was caused or aggravated by the veteran's service-connected PTSD with alcohol dependence.
- Granted
Service connection for both tonsil cancer and prostate cancer has been granted based on the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tonsil cancer and neck cancer, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are at least as likely as not related to his military service due to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, specifically failing to obtain an examination for the need of aid and attendance from a VA provider. The AOJ is instructed to conduct such an examination that addresses only the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
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