The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity, with metastatic lymph node cancer of the neck and squamous cell cancer of the left alveolar ridge are granted service connection due to exposure to herbicide agents. His bilateral hearing loss disability is also granted as it was proximately caused by a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The cancers were related to Agent Orange exposure, and his hearing loss was secondary to treatment for the cancers.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity, metastatic lymph node cancer of the neck, squamous cell cancer of the left alveolar ridge, bilateral hearing loss disability, headache disorder, hypertension, colon cancer, left upper extremity nerve damage, right upper extremity nerve damage, right lower extremity nerve damage
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19181309
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,077 · Granted: 25% (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 19181309.
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 remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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