Skin cancer decisions — 2021

The Veteran's claim for service connection for skin cancer (melanoma) is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the onset of his condition during active service.

The Board has granted service connection for skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma, as due to herbicide exposure. Service connection for scars resulting from treatment for the Veteran's skin cancer is also granted.

The Board has ordered remand for additional development regarding the Veteran's claims of service connection for skin cancer and peripheral neuropathy, including as due to herbicide exposure. The VA will obtain new opinions from medical professionals to determine if these conditions are related to active military service or herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient development and lack of adequate medical opinions. The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities, neurological condition, peripheral neuropathy, skin cancer, and chronic headaches are all being reviewed again.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for melanoma skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, and multiple actinic keratoses as there is no evidence that these conditions began during or were aggravated by his military service.

The Veteran's skin cancer was not noted in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period. Continuity of symptomatology is not established, and the disability is not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of prostate cancer is granted.,Service connection for hypertension as due to exposure to herbicide agents is remanded. The AOJ should verify the Veteran's in-service exposure to herbicide agents and provide a VA examination if necessary.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraine headaches is remanded. A VA examination is needed to determine whether his current migraines are related to military service.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded. The AOJ should obtain updated VA treatment records and afford the Veteran a VA examination if necessary.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disability, presumed to be skin cancer, due to exposure to herbicide agents is remanded. The AOJ should verify his in-service exposure to herbicide agents and provide a VA examination if necessary.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, presumed to be PTSD, is remanded. The AOJ should obtain the Veteran's SSA records and afford him a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to potential exposure to ionizing radiation during service. Service connection will be considered on a direct basis.

The Board has granted service connection for skin cancer, including melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, due to in-service exposure to ionizing radiation. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.

The claim to reopen the service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death was denied because there is no new and material evidence showing a link between the Veteran's death and service or a service-connected disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a skin disability, including as due to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents and contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and his service-connected chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The Board found no evidence of an etiological link between these exposures or conditions and the Veteran's current skin disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for COPD, but the claims for diverticulitis, skin cancer, and eye disability are remanded due to inadequate opinions regarding herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's skin cancer residual scars and disfigurement due to skin cancers of the head and ears do not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.,For both conditions, the preponderance of the evidence does not support an increase in the current 10 percent ratings.

The Veteran's cause of death was cardiorespiratory failure due to melanoma. The Board determined that his ischemic heart disease did not substantially or materially contribute to the cause of death, nor did it combine to cause death.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for malignant melanoma and a disfiguring scar, right lower back. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's bone cancer is granted as secondary to his service-connected prostate cancer. The skin cancer claim is remanded for further action.

The Veteran's skin cancer and low back disability were not found to be service-connected. The Board determined that the Veteran did not have a current disability related to his active service, or any incident therein.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hearing loss, skin cancer, cracked two front teeth (for compensation purposes), and dental issue for treatment purposes due to insufficient evidence in some cases.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development regarding the Veteran's service history, specifically his reserve and active duty for training (ACDUTRA) service from December 1985 to December 1987. The Veteran needs further verification of this period.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of malignant melanoma. The TDIU claim is remanded as the RO needs to assign a rating and effective date for this condition.