The Veteran's cancer may be a result of exposure to Agent Orange while in service. The Board finds there is a pre-decisional duty to assist error in failing to conduct the required development to determine if the Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange, and thus remands for further action.
The deciding factor: There is insufficient evidence to definitively establish the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange while on board the U.S.S. Los Angeles during his service.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma posterior mandibular gingival, vestibular region
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2022
- Citation
- A22021949
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 A22021949.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is presumed to have been incurred in service due to noise exposure during his time in Vietnam.
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