Skin cancer decisions — 2014

The Veteran's skin cancers are found to be related to his service, specifically the exposure to sun during construction work in American Samoa. The Board grants service connection for skin cancer.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to his failure to report for a VA examination and the need to issue supplemental statements of the case on new issues.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to his active service. The Board also finds that the Veteran has established a nexus between his COPD and skin cancer with exposure to herbicide agents, specifically Agent Orange. Service connection for these conditions is granted.

The Veteran's skin cancer claim is being remanded for additional development to determine if his exposure to ionizing radiation during service may be linked to his condition.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an updated opinion from Dr. R.S., and addressing whether the Veteran's cause of death is related to his service, specifically exposure to herbicides, sunlight, and hot gun oil.

The Veteran's appeal involves claims for service connection for neurotrophic corneal ulcer or cataracts and skin cancer, both potentially related to in-service exposure to ionizing radiation. The Board has requested a supplemental opinion from the Director of Compensation Service regarding these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further procedural action, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his skin cancer and actinic keratosis, and readjudicating the issues.

The Board denied service connection for skin cancer and actinic keratosis, finding that the evidence did not support a direct relationship to service or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's death was caused by metastatic melanoma, but the VA examiner opined that his service-connected diabetes mellitus did not contribute substantially or materially to his death. The case is being remanded for further evaluation.

The Board found that the Veteran's current malignant melanoma was not shown to have an onset during his period of service or within the first year after separation, and the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that it is otherwise related to his period of service, including due to exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the claimed conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's skin cancer was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service, including exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for service connection for skin cancer, hypertension, high cholesterol, residuals of a stroke, and neuropathy of the lower extremities.

The Veteran's skin cancer was not incurred or aggravated by service, and the Board finds that it is less likely than not related to his time in service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including migraine headaches and skin disorders. The decision did not address whether any of these conditions were related to his military service or exposure.

The Veteran's occupational exposures to carcinogenic compounds during service are found to have caused or contributed to his fatal ocular melanoma, thus granting service connection for the cause of his death.

The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the left neck is not related to his in-service herbicide exposure, and the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that it was caused by sun exposure. The claim for skin cancer due to sun exposure will be addressed in the REMAND portion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of records. The primary issues involve skin cancer, right knee degenerative joint disease, left knee degenerative joint disease, low back degenerative joint disease, and a neck disorder.

The Veteran's claim for basic eligibility to nonservice-connected pension benefits prior to May 24, 2010 is denied. However, the Board grants basic eligibility to nonservice-connected pension benefits from May 24, 2010 based on his service and age requirements.

The Veteran's skin cancer claim is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the condition is related to his military service, specifically exposure to Agent Orange.