The Veteran's oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is related to his exposure to herbicide agents during military service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: The May 2019 private opinion provided a nexus between the Veteran’s oropharyngeal cancer and his herbicide exposure in military service.
- Claimed conditions
- oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19166943
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · Granted: 33% (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 19166943.
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 remands the claim for service connection for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma to obtain a VA examination and medical opinion, as all elements of the McLendon criteria are met.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and residuals of surgery associated with it due to insufficient evidence regarding their relation to active duty, including potential exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of August 12, 2023, for service connection for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and DIC based on the cause of death due to this condition, which is presumed to be related to exposure to herbicide agents during active service. The Veteran's immediate cause of death was oral squamous cell carcinoma.
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