The Board denied service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil with metastasis to the left neck, claimed as due to herbicide exposure. The claim was also denied for a higher rating greater than 10 percent for otitis externa throughout the rating period on appeal.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided were not in favor of service connection based on herbicide exposure or secondary to service-connected PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil with metastasis to the left neck
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20043675
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 20043675.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal because the August 2020 Decision Review Request was filed in response to a June 2020 decision that denied service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil with metastasis to the left neck.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil with metastasis to the neck, as secondary to PTSD and due to herbicide exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records from Dr. Garcia and updated VA treatment records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil with metastasis to the left neck and an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, finding that there was no evidence to support these conditions as being related to his military service or herbicide exposure.
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