The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsils and tongue is related to his service, specifically exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The opinion provided by the private physician relies on conjecture without providing medical evidence of how the relationship was reached.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsils, squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19193378
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 19193378.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of February 1, 2021, for the award of service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and related disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and assigned a 20 percent evaluation, but denied service connection for osteoporosis, spinal stenosis, neurocognitive disorder with Alzheimer's, hypertension, and TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsils, including residual loss of voice and required use of feeding tube, to obtain a supplemental medical opinion.
- Granted
The veteran's claim for service connection of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue is granted. The decision was based on evidence showing that the cancer is related to in-service exposures to Agent Orange and asbestos.
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