The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran before a decision could be made.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died during the pendency of his appeal, and therefore the Board cannot issue a decision on the underlying claim at this time.
- Claimed conditions
- hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 18, 2024
- Citation
- A24057492
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 A24057492.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The veteran's service connection for hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and related conditions was granted. Service connection for cataracts was denied, and issues regarding dry mouth and teeth removal were remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to oropharyngeal carcinoma, which is presumed to have been caused by herbicide exposure during service.,The claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 was dismissed as the cause of death was already established through service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death, finding that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's causes of death to his military service or any presumptive conditions associated with Agent Orange exposure.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death is attributed to his service-connected hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, which was presumed due to exposure to Agent Orange. Service connection for cancer of the larynx is also granted.
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