The Veteran's service connection claim for throat cancer due to herbicide exposure is remanded because there was insufficient evidence of his reported in-service exposure to Agent Orange. The RO needs to verify if the Veteran served near the perimeter of RTAFB Udorn or participated in a combat mission that would have brought him to Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service at RTAFB Udorn and participation in a combat mission do not necessarily establish presumed herbicide exposure, but further verification is needed to determine if he was exposed near the perimeter of the base.
- Claimed conditions
- throat cancer (laryngeal)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20061046
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 20061046.
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 Veteran's laryngeal cancer is found to be due to herbicide exposure during service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The claims for pancreatitis, prostatitis, and anemia are denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or association with service.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Granted
Service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is granted. The appeal as to the issue of entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction is dismissed.
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