The Veteran's claim for service connection for laryngeal papillomatosis was denied because the evidence did not establish a link between his active duty service and his condition, despite his exposure to herbicide agents. The Board found that there is no medical evidence linking HPV, which causes laryngeal papillomatosis, to Agent Orange.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was more persuasive than the private physicians' opinions due to its thorough rationale and review of the claims file.
- Claimed conditions
- laryngeal papillomatosis
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20002991
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 laryngeal papillomatosis, finding that the evidence supports a direct causal relationship between the condition and the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during his active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for sarcoidosis as new and relevant evidence has been received since the previous denial.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a left-hand condition is dismissed as the Veteran was granted service connection for mononeuropathy to the left hand fourth finger with parasthesia of skin in an October 2025 rating decision.
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