Skin cancer decisions — 2014

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The Board finds the evidence in relative equipoise with regard to whether his bilateral hearing loss and skin cancer are related to service, but remands for further development regarding occupational exposure.

The Veteran's skin cancer is being referred for further examination, and the earlier effective date issue needs to be remanded as well.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for further information and opinion regarding his exposure to radiation during service. The case will be returned to the Board after additional development.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues related to service connection, including bipolar disorder, hypertension, skin cancer, and residuals of fractured pelvis and left femoral head dislocation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right hip disability, depressive disorder, fatigue disorder, throat disorder, shoulder joint pain, left hip bursitis, and left knee strain. The decision also addressed issues related to melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, nevus, toe joint disorders, and a bilateral leg condition (claimed as muscle pain).

The Board has determined that service connection is not warranted for any of the conditions listed, as there was no in-service injury or event related to these conditions and the Veteran does not have confirmed exposure to Agent Orange or other tactical herbicide agents within the meaning of 38 C.F.R. § 3.307.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus and malignant melanoma, both linked to herbicide exposure in Vietnam, are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for scars affecting areas other than the face, head, and neck from May 29, 2014. The Veteran's service-connected skin cancer resulted in multiple scars that are painful and have been rated under the appropriate criteria.

The Board has remanded the case due to additional evidence being received after a Statement of the Case was issued, and before the appeal could be certified for appellate review.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for squamous cell skin cancers due to radiation exposure with secondary bone cancer, finding that the earliest date of entitlement is April 22, 2002.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's skin cancer, hearing loss, or tinnitus to his military service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's skin cancer, including malignant melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma, was not incurred or aggravated by service. The Board found no credible evidence linking the current condition to in-service sun exposure.

The Board finds that the Veteran's skin condition, valvular heart disease, hypertension, and arteriosclerotic heart disease are not related to his active duty service or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was no evidence of exposure to herbicides and the conditions were not related to his military service.

The Veteran was granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II due to presumed exposure to herbicides during his Vietnam-era service. The issue of service connection for multiple actinic keratosis and skin cancers, which the Veteran withdrew from appeal, remains unresolved.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete records and need for further medical examinations.

The Veteran's right elbow disability is found to be related to his in-service injury, and service connection is granted. The hearing loss claim requires additional development due to conflicting evidence regarding its onset during active duty or National Guard service. The skin disorder claim also needs further clarification of the etiology.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms cause occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks, warranting a 30 percent disability rating for PTSD.