Skin cancer decisions — 2014

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for a medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death, metastatic malignant melanoma. The claim is now pending again with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Veteran's skin cancer was not present in service and is not related to any event of service, including exposure to herbicides or the sun. Therefore, service connection for skin cancer has been denied.

The Board denied reopening the Veteran's claim of service connection for skin cancer and benign growths, claimed as a result of exposure to herbicides. The evidence received since the June 2009 decision is not new and material.

The Board found that the Veteran's skin cancer is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for ischemic heart disease, but remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for malignant melanoma and Parkinson's disease due to lack of evidence supporting exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for skin cancer, including as due to Agent Orange exposure, is dismissed because the Veteran has died. The claim was pending at the time of his death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's melanoma is not service connected, as there is no evidence of a diagnosis in service and no competent medical opinion linking the current condition to his active duty. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to service and the Board finds that he meets the criteria for service connection.

The Board has determined that there is no competent medical evidence linking the Veteran's current skin cancer and cysts to his active service, including exposure to herbicide (Agent Orange). The preponderance of the evidence does not support a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied reopening of the Veteran's claims for service connection for skin cancers of the face, head, and hands and lichen planus of the right hand and forearm due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are granted. The conditions claimed, including organic mental syndrome, skin disorder (to include skin cancer), and prostate cancer, were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and providing a supplemental nexus opinion regarding tinnitus and skin cancer.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by his representative, and therefore the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including skin cancer, bilateral hearing loss, painful scars associated with skin cancer, tinnitus, and right hand arthritis, do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder is currently productive of occupational and social impairment, with reduced reliability and productivity. The Board finds that the schedular criteria for an initial 50 percent evaluation have been met.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has expanded the issue to include other skin disorders in addition to skin cancers, and is remanding the case for additional development of evidence including VA treatment records from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated examinations and medical records.

The Veteran's current diagnoses of skin cancer and stomach cancer were not manifested during service, nor are they presumed to be due to herbicide exposure. The Board finds that the claims for service connection for skin cancer and stomach cancer are denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to determine the etiology of his skin disorders, including multiple melanomas and actinic keratosis. The case will be returned to the Board for further review.