Skin cancer decisions — 2018

The Veteran's skin cancer and tension headaches are being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations to determine the nature and severity of his conditions.

The Veteran's death was due to metastatic melanoma. The Appellant, who remarried after the Veteran's death, does not meet the criteria for being recognized as his surviving spouse and therefore cannot claim DIC benefits.

The Veteran's service connection claim for residuals of skin cancer is granted because the evidence is in relative equipoise, with some opinions suggesting a link to radiation exposure and others not. The Board finds that the Veteran has established new and material evidence to reopen his claim.

The Board has denied service connection for erectile dysfunction, infertility, porphyria cutanea tarda, skin cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities as these conditions are not related to service or any incident of active duty service.

The Board denied reopening the claim of service connection for malignant melanoma as new and material evidence was not received, despite additional lay statements and medical records indicating a possible link to in-service sun exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for postoperative residuals of left ankle melanoma, to include as due to exposure to Agent Orange. The evidence did not establish a link between the Veteran's melanoma and herbicide exposure.

The Board found no evidence of herbicide exposure during service, and the Veteran's heart condition is not linked to his active service. The cause of death due to metastatic melanoma was determined to be a direct result of the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for status post excision of malignant melanoma on the right scapular area, claimed as skin cancer, has been reopened. The evidence submitted relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate this claim.,Service connection was denied for dermatoheliosis (skin rash) due to lack of evidence showing its onset during service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address the issues of service connection for various conditions, including psychiatric disorders and cardiovascular diseases.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of a higher rating for his pulmonary disorder and service connection for his skin disability. The case is being remanded to obtain updated medical records, conduct further examinations, and provide an opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's skin conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for skin cancer, finding that his skin cancers were not caused by or related to his active duty service.

The Board has granted service connection for skin rash of the face, neck, and chest; melanoma; and basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma due to herbicide exposure, finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to such exposure.

The Veteran's appeal includes claims for service connection for PTSD, hypertension, skin cancer, and bilateral hearing loss. The Board has determined that the Veteran meets criteria for a 50 percent evaluation prior to October 1, 2015, and a 70 percent evaluation thereafter for his PTSD. However, the issues of service connection for hypertension and skin cancer are not addressed as they were previously resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and remanded the Veteran's increased rating claim for hearing loss and his service connection claim for skin cancer.

The Veteran's skin cancer, including actinic keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma, is found to be related to his service in Vieques, Puerto Rico. The effective date for the grant of service connection is set at January 17, 2008.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection for pulmonary sarcoidosis, malignant melanoma, and a right abdominal scar (secondary to malignant melanoma) have been granted. The Veteran now has a current diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis and the scars are considered direct service connections.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's prostate cancer and melanoma are related to his active service, including exposure to ionizing radiation. The case is therefore being remanded for a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as there is no current diagnosis of skin cancer or its residuals.

The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma (claimed as skin cancer) is found to be related to service and granted. The heart condition claim is denied due to lack of a current diagnosis. The Veteran's benign prostate hypertrophy (claimed as prostate condition) is not presumed to be caused by herbicide exposure, but the Board finds it more likely than not that it is related to service.