Skin cancer decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for spinal degeneration with upper and lower back pain, hearing loss, COPD, laryngeal cancer, and skin cancer for further development. The claims are being held in abeyance until VA determines whether the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's skin cancer is related to his service, including exposure to herbicide agents. A VA examination is needed to determine if there is a link between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and skin cancer. Service connection for diabetes mellitus type II is remanded due to lack of current diagnosis.

The Veteran's lung cancer is unclear whether it was a primary diagnosis or metastasis of his skin cancer. The Board has ordered further development to clarify the nature of the Veteran's lung cancer.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to insufficient evidence showing that the Veteran's malignant melanoma with metastasis to the brain was related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents such as Agent Orange during service.

The Board has denied service connection for prostate cancer, basal cell carcinoma with melanoma, and bilateral shoulder osteoarthritis as the evidence does not support a link between these conditions and service.,Service connection was denied for prostate cancer due to lack of a positive nexus between exposure to commercial weed killer and the condition.

The Veteran's PTSD, ischemic heart disease, and COPD are granted service connection. The skin cancer claim is remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new one must be conducted to determine if the Veteran's skin cancer is related to his military service or exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development and examination. The Veteran's claims for service connection are not granted.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for residuals of skin cancer on his head, back, and left upper extremity due to insufficient evidence regarding the severity of his scars. A new VA examination is needed.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary for the Veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of skin cancer and thyroid disorder. The issues have been remanded due to the need for further evidence regarding the alleged exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including anemia, arthritis or other disability of the lumbar spine, sleep apnea, and malignant melanoma. Service connection was reopened on new evidence for a kidney disability.

The Veteran's death was due to a service-connected condition (Agent Orange exposure) and is therefore granted as the cause of death.

The Board has withdrawn the Veteran's claims for a right knee disability and a left knee disability. The claim of service connection for skin cancer is granted, but the issue of a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development regarding ionizing radiation exposure and a dose assessment.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions, finding that there was no evidence of exposure to ionizing radiation during his active duty and insufficient medical evidence linking the current diagnoses to service.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to new evidence, including a lay statement and medical records from the National Institutes of Health. The Board finds that there is at least equipoise evidence supporting a finding that the left shoulder mole noted during service may have developed into metastatic melanoma causing the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied, as the evidence did not show that his service-connected hearing loss was worse than Level I.,The Veteran's skin cancer of the arms is remanded and will require further examination to determine its etiology.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral knee conditions and back condition, service connection for skin cancer, and TDIU due to insufficient evidence or need for further examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for skin cancer due to herbicide agent exposure, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to his active military service.