The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to a lack of evidence linking presumed Agent Orange exposure to his melanoma, which caused his death.
The deciding factor: There was no medical evidence showing a link between the veteran's presumed exposure to herbicides and the development of metastatic melanoma that caused his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Malignant melanoma
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 23, 2006
- Citation
- 0608375
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for service connection for malignant melanoma, lung cancer, kidney disability, hypertension, and TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death, malignant melanoma, was related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient consideration of the appellant's contention that the cause of the Veteran’s death, malignant melanoma, was related to sun exposure during service.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's malignant melanoma had its clinical onset due to sun exposure during his period of active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
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