The Veteran's neck cancer is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's neck cancer was metastatic and did not originate during service or as a result of Agent Orange exposure, thus failing to meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- neck cancer, squamous cell carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19166006
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 19166006.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for skin cancer was dismissed due to untimeliness, while the claim for squamous cell carcinoma was granted.
- Partly granted
The Board dismissed the claim for service connection for headaches and remanded claims for service connection for various other conditions, including open angle glaucoma, sensorineural hearing loss, asthma, heart disease, bladder cancer, and squamous cell carcinoma.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma, finding that the Veteran's condition is related to his active service, including conceded in-service exposure to Agent Orange.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that squamous cell carcinoma was a complication of his service-connected hidradenitis suppurativa.
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