The Board has granted the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil was related to his military service at Camp Lejeune and caused his death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's in-service exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune contributed to his development of squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil, which was a principal cause of his death from metastases to lung.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil, metastases to lung
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2026
- Citation
- A26020670
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 A26020670.
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 Board granted a 50 percent rating for squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil, effective April 9, 2021.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil, as there was no evidence to support a direct link between the condition and the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for service connection of squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil is remanded. The Board needs more medical evidence to determine if the condition is related to in-service herbicide exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found errors in obtaining the Veteran's private medical records and VA Forms 21-4142, and thus remanded for further action.
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