The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for carcinoma of the mouth to include tonsil cancer before a decision was made.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal, which resulted in dismissal of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- carcinoma of the mouth, tonsil cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19195373
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,699 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19195373.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for service connection of tonsil cancer is remanded to obtain a medical opinion on whether the condition was caused or aggravated by the veteran's service-connected PTSD with alcohol dependence.
- Whole decision: Granted
Service connection for both tonsil cancer and prostate cancer has been granted based on the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection on three issues (carcinoma of the mouth, peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities) has been dismissed due to his death.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tonsil cancer and neck cancer, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are at least as likely as not related to his military service due to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.
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