The Board granted service connection for squamous cell cancer of the tongue, finding it to be due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The private opinion from Dr. C.F., who treated the Veteran and found his condition 'very likely due to toxin exposure,' was deemed probative based on its accurate description of risk factors and supporting rationale.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell cancer of the tongue
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 5, 2025
- Citation
- 25006086
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (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 25006086.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's squamous cell cancer of the tongue is granted as service connected due to exposure to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA examinations and the need for additional medical records. The Veteran's squamous cell cancer of the tongue is being reviewed again with a new examination to determine if it was caused by or related to his military service, specifically exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's squamous cell cancer of the tongue is being remanded for further evaluation due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remands. The case will be reviewed and a new medical opinion will be sought to determine if the cancer is related to service, specifically exposure to herbicide agents or contaminated water at Camp LeJeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's squamous cell cancer of the tongue, which is claimed as throat cancer. The case will be reviewed again with a focus on whether it is related to service exposure at Camp Lejeune.
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