The Veteran's oropharyngeal cancer is presumed to be due to exposure to herbicide agents, but the Board finds that a remand is necessary for a new medical opinion regarding whether it is at least as likely as not related to his service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was based solely on the fact that oropharyngeal cancer is not on the list of presumptive conditions, without considering the likelihood that the cancer could still be related to service due to individual risk factors.
- Claimed conditions
- oropharyngeal cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 10, 2022
- Citation
- 22027668
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 22027668.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for oropharyngeal cancer, finding that it is not related to his in-service exposure and instead caused by his long-term tobacco use.
- Granted
The Veteran's oropharyngeal cancer with soft palate reconstruction is granted service connection, and the claim for a dental disability secondary to this condition is remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for oropharyngeal cancer, cervical node involvement of cancer, and loss of taste on a direct basis due to Agent Orange exposure. A rating of 60 percent was assigned for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the Veteran's TDIU claim was also granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for oropharyngeal cancer due to a need for a new medical opinion addressing the Veteran's toxic exposures and alcohol abuse as secondary to his service-connected PTSD.
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