The Board denied service connection for tongue cancer, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and his development of tongue cancer.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided were against a finding that the Veteran's tongue cancer was caused by or related to his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, due to low risk from solvent exposure and high risk based on smoking history.
- Claimed conditions
- tongue cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 28, 2022
- Citation
- 22066120
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 22066120.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted effective September 18, 2023. Effective that date, the Veteran also becomes eligible for DEA benefits and has an effective date of service connection for various conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was due to tongue cancer (metastatic) and hypercalcemia. The Board denied service connection for the cause of death as there is no evidence linking the tongue cancer or hypercalcemia to service, including exposure to herbicides or contaminated water from Camp Lejeune.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims of service connection for a skin disability, throat cancer, tongue cancer, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as there was no valid claim or appeal pending at the time of the Veteran's death.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for tongue cancer has been withdrawn and dismissed by the Veteran.
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