Skin cancer decisions — 2005

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disorder and right knee disorder, but remanded it for further development. The effective date of the award remains pending.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, cardiovascular disease (claimed as secondary to hypertension), and skin cancer (claimed as secondary to Agent Orange exposure) due to a lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to military service or any incident therein.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for varicose veins of the right leg, skin cancer, seborrheic dermatitis, fatigue, depression, cardiac disease, hypertension, and degenerative disc disease of the thoracic and lumbar spine. The preponderance of evidence demonstrated that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by active duty service.

The Board has determined that the evidence received since the September 1996 denial is not new and material for any of the claims on appeal, thus denying each petition to reopen.

The Board found that the veteran's cause of death, metastatic malignant melanoma, was not due to service or Agent Orange exposure. The appellant's claim for service connection based on these factors was denied.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence is not new and material, thus denying the reopening of the veteran's claims for skin cancer and colon cancer.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the existence and etiology of the veteran's claimed conditions, including peripheral neuropathy, multiple myeloma, porphyria cutanea tarda, cutaneous vascular disorder, and skin cancer, all potentially related to exposure to Agent Orange during service.

The veteran is seeking service connection for skin cancer, which he claims developed due to sun exposure during his Vietnam service. The Board has ordered a remand to obtain additional medical records and conduct an examination to determine the etiology of the condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for skin cancer due to exposure to ionizing radiation and sun exposure, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the claim. The Board also determined that the veteran's skin cancers are not related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), skin cancer, prostate cancer, and colon bleeding (diagnosed as colitis) due to a lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to military service.

The Board found no evidence of radiation exposure during service and denied the veteran's claims for skin cancer, hypothyroidism, and leg rash as not incurred in or related to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's skin cancers are due to sun exposure during service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to a dispute over the radiation dose exposure, and further adjudication is required.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for melanoma, including as secondary to in-service herbicide exposure (Agent Orange). The Board found that melanoma is not a disease for which service connection may be presumed and that it was not related to the veteran's period of active service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the veteran's skin cancer and his military service, specifically sun exposure during service in the Middle East.

The veteran's claim for service connection for skin cancer is being remanded to the RO for consideration of alternative theories including exposure to non-ionizing radiation and solar rays. The RO must provide the veteran with a letter outlining his responsibilities in this process.

The Board found that the veteran's skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma, was not incurred in or aggravated by military service and denied his claim.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to the grant of a favorable rating decision for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, acid reflux disease, diverticulitis, multiple skin cancers of the face and arms, and peripheral vascular disease. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his military service or any incident therein.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a shrapnel injury to the forehead, headaches, and skin cancer of the head and back due to sun exposure. The case is REMANDED for appropriate action on the issue of skin cancer of the head and back.