The Board has determined that the Veteran's tonsil cancer is related to his military service, including his exposure to a sexually transmitted disease (STD), and grants service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's current tongue cancer was caused by his STD, which occurred during his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- tonsil cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2024
- Citation
- 24001897
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 352 · Granted: 37% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24001897.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for service connection of tonsil cancer is remanded to obtain a medical opinion on whether the condition was caused or aggravated by the veteran's service-connected PTSD with alcohol dependence.
- Granted
Service connection for both tonsil cancer and prostate cancer has been granted based on the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tonsil cancer and neck cancer, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are at least as likely as not related to his military service due to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, specifically failing to obtain an examination for the need of aid and attendance from a VA provider. The AOJ is instructed to conduct such an examination that addresses only the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
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