Skin cancer decisions — 2016

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a travel board hearing.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for frequent urination and left arm twitching, but denied them on their merits.,The claim for service connection for malignant melanoma remains closed as new and material evidence was not received.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder condition, skin condition, and left ear hearing loss are not related to service. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disability, including skin cancer and actinic keratosis, is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records.

The Board has granted service connection for metastatic melanoma and determined that the Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected metastatic melanoma.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease has been withdrawn.,Service connection for hypertension is denied as the condition is not related to military service or secondary to a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's service-connected left cheek melanoma and left temple eccrine carcinoma are currently rated at 50 percent effective June 10, 2009. The appeal is granted for a higher rating.

The Veteran seeks service connection for skin cancer, including malignant melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. The Board finds that there is no competent evidence linking the Veteran's skin cancer to his military service or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran seeks service connection for skin cancer or other skin disorders due to his presumed exposure to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam. The Board has requested a medical expert opinion from a VA dermatologist and a gastroenterology examination is needed to determine if the Veteran has porphyria cutanea tarda related to military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of skin cancer, and therefore service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran is presumed to have been exposed to herbicides during service, which supports his claims for service connection for malignant melanoma and diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development and examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for cancer, including leukemia and melanoma to include as due to ionizing radiation exposure is being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma were not incurred in or aggravated by service, including due to presumed Agent Orange exposure. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus as secondary to hearing loss, and found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus II is rated appropriately at 20 percent. The skin cancer was also found to be related to sun exposure during active duty service.

The Veteran's melanoma was rated at 100% from December 3, 2009 to September 1, 2012 and then reduced to 80%. The Board found that the evidence did not support a permanent 100% rating for melanoma. The Veteran is currently rated at 80%, which is the maximum schedular rating available for her service-connected condition. She also does not meet the criteria for TDIU due to her service-connected disability alone.

The Veteran's bladder disorder is found to be etiologically related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The claim for hepatitis C was granted.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development and to schedule a videoconference hearing before the Board.

The Board has granted service connection for multiple skin cancers and its residuals, including a scar on the right lower extremity. The effective dates are set at December 5, 2006 for the initial grant of service connection for multiple skin cancers and May 16, 2011 for the scars. The rating assigned is 90% for the multiple skin cancers.