The Board denied service connection for papillary thyroid carcinoma, finding no causal link between in-service asbestos exposure and the current condition.
The deciding factor: The August 2023 VA examiner's opinion, based on a large study with more than 2,500 cases of thyroid cancer, supported the conclusion that asbestos exposure does not seem to increase risk of thyroid cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- papillary thyroid carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2025
- Citation
- A25017510
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,863 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A25017510.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for papillary thyroid carcinoma is denied. The case is being remanded due to a procedural error in notifying the Veteran of his right to a hearing on a supplemental claim.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a left knee disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis of the left knee. The claim for papillary thyroid carcinoma was remanded for further development.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an initial compensable rating for papillary thyroid carcinoma due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable rating for papillary thyroid carcinoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but granted service connection for vocal cord paralysis and odynophagia as additional residual disabilities due to the service-connected nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
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