The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for residuals of laryngeal cancer, thyroid cancer, and high blood pressure (HBP). Service connection is granted.,Service connection is also granted for residuals of thyroid cancer as secondary to service-connected laryngeal cancer.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Thailand has been presumed. The Board finds the evidence at least equipoise on whether he was exposed, and grants service connection based on this presumption.,Service connection is granted for residuals of thyroid cancer as secondary to laryngeal cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of laryngeal cancer, high blood pressure (HBP), high blood pressure (HBP) - recharacterized as hypertension, residuals of thyroid cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 5, 2020
- Citation
- A20015210
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,669 · Granted: 23% (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 A20015210.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, high blood pressure, and stroke as untimely.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining an addendum medical opinion regarding the etiologies of the Veteran's thyroid and kidney cancers.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for thyroid cancer, to include as due to exposure to ionizing radiation, for a TERA opinion under the PACT Act.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for residuals of thyroid cancer was dismissed due to untimeliness and lack of jurisdiction.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.