Skin cancer decisions — 2011

The Veteran's death was caused by metastatic melanoma to the brain, which is not service-connected. The Board found no evidence of asbestos exposure or other service-connected conditions contributing to his death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and skin cancer-basal cell carcinoma, facial area, as well as an increased rating for residuals of excision fibroma tumor with calcification, right mandibular alveolar ridge, were denied. The Board found no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and major depressive disorder was granted, with the diagnosis being established based on evidence in his file at the date of death. The claim for melanoma remains denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the claims for service connection for skin cancers of the right upper arm and elbow area, as well as left upper forehead. The Veteran's skin cancers are found to be etiologically related to her active duty service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claims for service connection for a skin disorder other than skin cancer, claimed as due to exposure to ionizing radiation, and prostate cancer, both claimed as due to exposure to ionizing radiation. As such, these claims remain denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication of the issues on appeal, including a VA examination to address service connection for back disability, hypertension, and skin cancer.

The Veteran's malignant melanoma was not incurred in or aggravated by service, did not become manifest to a compensable degree within one year following separation therefrom, and is not attributed to exposure to herbicides or any incident related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for skin cancer and precancerous skin lesions were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, and the Board found that these conditions are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's skin cancer was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is unrelated to a service-connected disability. The claim for an increased rating for ventricular hypertrophy was denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for fibrosarcoma of the left thigh, Grave's disease, residuals of a subcutaneous nodule excision on the left upper abdominal wall, and skin cancer of the arms and legs. The appeals are granted.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to noise exposure during service.,The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the left second metacarpal, including as due to Agent Orange exposure, is found to be related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's skin cancer, including consideration of in-service sun exposure and ionizing radiation exposure. The Veteran's claim will be readjudicated after this development.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's skin disability, including whether it may be related to in-service exposure to ionizing radiation or herbicides. The case will also be forwarded to the Under Secretary for Health to provide an independent dose estimate of the Veteran's radiation exposure in service.

The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic desmoplastic melanoma, is considered to be incurred in service due to his exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for skin cancer, left buttock disorder, or bilateral hip disorder. The Veteran's STRs were silent regarding any such conditions and there is no current diagnosis provided by medical records.

The Veteran claims service connection for malignant melanoma, which he asserts is related to his exposure to Agent Orange during military service. The RO denied this claim as there was no medical evidence linking the disability to service or to exposure to Agent Orange. The Board has determined that a remand is necessary due to insufficient competent medical evidence on file.

The Veteran's service connection claims for loss of teeth, bladder injury/voiding dysfunction, brain disease due to trauma, and skin cancer have been denied.,The Veteran's increased rating claim for avascular necrosis of the right hip has been denied.,The Veteran's increased rating claim for avascular necrosis of the left humeral head has been denied.,The Veteran's increased rating claim for dysthymic disorder has been denied.,The reduction of the Veteran's rating for diffuse large cell lymphoma of the left testicle with orchiectomy from 100% to noncompensably disabling was not made in compliance with applicable due process laws and regulations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, skin cancer, and coronary artery disease. The decision found that the Veteran did not have these conditions attributable to his military service.

The Veteran's severe actinic damage with a history of multiple non-melanomatous skin cancers has been granted a 30 percent evaluation, effective November 17, 2005.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for Merkel cell carcinoma of the right thigh, residuals of surgical resection of the sentinel lymph node of the right groin (claimed as secondary to Merkel cell carcinoma), and skin cancer of the left chest, upper and lower back, right shoulder, right neck, and right ear are all granted.