Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied service connection for malignant melanoma of the chest wall, sometimes claimed as breast cancer due to exposure to ionizing radiation in service. The claim for an increased rating for bilateral external otitis and hearing loss secondary to service-connected bilateral external otitis was also denied.

The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding that the appellant's malignant melanoma of the chest wall was related to his military service or exposure to ionizing radiation in service. The bilateral hearing loss claim was found to be unrelated to service and service-connected conditions, while the external otitis condition was primarily due to itching and dryness.

Claimed conditions: malignant melanoma of the chest wall
How they argued it: Not specified
Exposure basis: None
Rating: Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date: March 22, 2006
Citation: 0608315

Veterans Law Judge

ROBERT E. SULLIVAN

Decisions by this judge: 493 · Granted: 28% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)

Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.

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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0608315.

What this means for you

A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.

What you can do next

Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the veteran's malignant melanoma of the chest wall was not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may it be presumed to have been incurred therein. The evidence did not demonstrate that the veteran had cancer of the breast and his claim for service connection based on exposure to ionizing radiation could not be granted.

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