Skin cancer decisions — 2018

The Veteran's liver cancer is granted as service connected due to exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand, with the opinion of a private medical examiner supporting this finding.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of hypertension, skin cancer, and essential tremors due to a withdrawal request from the Veteran. The appeal for reopening the service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss was also dismissed as no new material evidence has been submitted.

The Veteran's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is being remanded for a VA examination to determine its etiology and whether it is related to his service in the Gulf War.

The Board is remanding two issues: whether the debt created by removing a prior spouse was validly created, and entitlement to waiver of recovery of overpayment. The Veteran's request for a revised amount of his debt has not been addressed yet.

The Board has remanded two issues: 1) Entitlement to service connection for melanoma/carcinoma, and 2) Entitlement to an effective date prior to June 1, 2008 for the addition of the Veteran’s spouse as his dependent. The first issue is related to determining if the Veteran's current condition is linked to his military service. The second issue involves clarifying when the Veteran was recognized as a dependent by VA.

The reduction of the evaluation for prostate cancer from 100 percent to 40 percent, effective August 1, 2016, was proper. The Veteran's skin cancer remains under appeal and needs further examination.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new and material evidence having been submitted. The Veteran's symptoms related to his claimed conditions have not been evaluated in a recent VA examination, so additional examinations are needed.

The Board has remanded the cases due to missing VA treatment records. The Veteran's claims for service connection are not addressed in this decision.

The case is being remanded due to the need for a new VA opinion regarding whether the Veteran's malignant melanoma was not reasonably foreseeable.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the claims of service connection for fibromyalgia, a back condition, erectile dysfunction, and skin cancer (including as due to herbicide agent exposure). As such, these claims are dismissed.

The Veteran's service connection claim for malignant melanoma and PTSD was denied. The Veteran's PTSD was granted a 70% rating, effective November 18, 2015.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for lumbar spine disability, bilateral hip disability, and skin cancer as they require further development due to incomplete medical opinions.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a skin disability, including skin cancer and actinic keratosis, is remanded due to the need for further development of evidence regarding his exposure during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a lung disorder, alcoholism, and panic disorder with associated depression and agoraphobia are granted. The claim for obstructive sleep apnea is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to December 28, 2010 for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not file a timely request to reopen his original claim and therefore the effective date is set at December 28, 2010. The Veteran's claim for skin cancer was remanded due to lack of an opinion on its etiology.

The Veteran's skin cancer and skin melanoma are being remanded for a VA examination to determine if they are related to his service, including exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for skin cancer, type II diabetes mellitus, and renal calculi of the kidneys were denied. The case is remanded due to procedural errors in the rating decisions.

The Veteran's claims for left lower extremity, lumbar spine, bilateral ear, skin or skin cancer, and psychiatric disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.,The Veteran's claim for nasal fracture residuals is also remanded as he has not been provided a VA examination.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The left ear hearing loss claim is denied.,Service connection for a skin disability, including basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, and squamous cell carcinoma, is denied.,Service connection for deviated nasal septum is remanded due to the need for a supplemental medical opinion.,Service connection for sleep apnea (secondary to tinnitus) is remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's skin cancer was denied as there is no evidence of in-service exposure to Agent Orange and the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that his skin cancer is due to service.