The Veteran's cause of death, squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue with metastasis, is considered to be related to his exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam. The Board granted service connection for the cause of death due to Agent Orange exposure.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence supports a link between the Veteran’s oropharyngeal cancer and his exposure to herbicide agents, including Agent Orange, which is presumed to have caused type 2 diabetes and other diseases in Vietnam veterans. The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death was related to his service-connected oropharyngeal cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19183282
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, acknowledging that the evidence was at least in equipoise regarding the relationship between the veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and his current condition.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's active duty service due to asbestos exposure. The claim was reopened based on new evidence provided by a private physician.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, concluding that his squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx was caused by presumed exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam service.
- Denied
The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and for DIC benefits under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding that there was no objective evidence of radiation exposure during service and that the veteran did not meet the eligibility criteria for DIC benefits.
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