The veteran's claims for service connection for melanoma and lymphoma were denied as there is no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after his military service, including exposure to herbicides.
The deciding factor: There was no current diagnosis of melanoma or lymphoma in the veteran's medical records, and the examiner did not find any suspicious lesions for melanoma. The veteran's brother had a history of melanoma, but this does not establish a direct link between his own condition and service exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- melanoma, lymphoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 11, 2003
- Citation
- 0307040
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0307040.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, and obstructive sleep apnea based on toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) during the Veteran's service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for melanoma under the PACT Act, presumptively linking it to the Veteran's exposure to burn pits during his deployment in Saudi Arabia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for service connection for lymphoma, which is presumed to be non-Hodgkin's lymphoma due to in-service exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
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