The Board denied service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the neck, tonsil, lymph nodes, larynx, and tongue as there is no current diagnosis or evidence linking these conditions to service.
The deciding factor: There was no current diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma in any of the claimed locations. The Veteran's post-service medical records showed that his squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue did not begin until decades after separation from service, and none of the diagnoses were associated with herbicide exposure or other service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the neck, squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil, squamous cell carcinoma of the lymph nodes, squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 3, 2022
- Citation
- 22061956
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 22061956.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his military service and the cancer.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for various service connection claims have been dismissed due to his death while the appeal was pending.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, finding that it is related to active duty service due to exposure to Agent Orange.
- Granted
The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil is granted service connection due to herbicide exposure during service. The cause of death, metastatic head cancer, is also granted as it was a contributory cause.
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