Skin cancer decisions — 2017

The Veteran's claims for service connection for skin cancer and an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss prior to July 1, 2010 were both denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his active duty service.

The Board denied service connection for skin cancer and a lymph node in the cervical chain as there is no current disability associated with these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disability, to include melanoma, is being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining a VA examination and a complete copy of the July 2012 rating decision.

The Board has reopened the claim of entitlement to service connection for an ear disease (claimed as ear infection or fungus) and granted it, but denied the claims for non-cancer skin conditions and skin cancer due to exposure to ionizing radiation.,The Veteran's petition to reopen the previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for skin cancer claimed as due to exposure to ionizing radiation is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for metastatic melanoma and a stroke (cerebrovascular accident) as secondary to the Veteran's metastatic melanoma, finding that both conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for headaches and remanded the claims for a back disability, right eye disability, and malignant melanoma. The Veteran needs to provide medical records from his private providers and VA should secure these records.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional evidence and a new VA examination. The issues include service connection for various conditions, with no specific theory of service connection provided.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus II, service connection for ischemic heart disease (IHD), and service connection for skin cancer and hypertension. The decision also noted that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen these previously denied claims.

The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic melanoma, was not related to his military service or his service-connected cold injury residuals. The Board found that the medical evidence did not support a finding that these conditions caused or contributed substantially to the Veteran's death.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for malignant melanoma and finds that new evidence submitted raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. The Veteran is also provided with an opportunity to have his claims remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including consideration of the Veteran's sun exposure during service and a dose estimate from ionizing radiation. The claim will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Board denied the Veteran's original claim for service connection for skin cancer of the face, including secondary to inservice herbicide agent exposure. The Board also denied an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss. The appeal is currently pending and requires further development.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and a hearing.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for skin cancer was denied as there is no evidence of herbicide exposure and the condition did not manifest within one year of discharge. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for pulmonary emphysema remains pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a skin condition and melanoma, both claimed as due to exposure to herbicides, are being remanded for further development including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling the Veteran for VA examinations.

The Board denied service connection for melanoma with scar, asthma, sinusitis, and depression, to include dysthymia as the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's active duty service or presumed herbicide exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his malignant melanoma is related to his presumed exposure to Agent Orange during service. The claim was reopened due to new evidence received since the last denial.

The Veteran's claims for compensable initial evaluations for scars, residuals of excisions of malignant melanoma and the residuals of squamous cell cancer of the parotid gland of the neck, and scars, residuals of excision of basal cell carcinoma of the nose and biopsy of the right cheek, have been denied as there is no evidence of disfigurement or unstable scars.,The Veteran's claims for compensable initial evaluations for scars, residuals of excisions of malignant melanoma and the residuals of squamous cell cancer of the parotid gland of the neck, and scars, residuals of excision of basal cell carcinoma of the nose and biopsy of the right cheek, have been denied as there is no evidence of disfigurement or unstable scars.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities precluded substantially gainful employment from July 1, 2007 to September 16, 2009. The Board granted a TDIU for this period.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment since February 1, 2014.