The veteran is seeking service connection for porphyria cutanea tarda, actinic keratoses and seborrheic keratoses of the hands and scalp, and squamous cell cancer at the dorsum of the left hand, all claimed as due to herbicide exposure. The Board finds that further development is needed to clarify the current diagnoses and their relationship to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examination report did not identify the veteran's current skin diagnoses, making it unclear whether the August 2001 VA opinion referred to porphyria cutanea tarda, actinic and seborrheic keratoses of the hands and scalp, or both. Moreover, no competent opinion regarding the squamous cell cancer was provided.
- Claimed conditions
- porphyria cutanea tarda, actinic keratoses and seborrheic keratoses of the hands and scalp, squamous cell cancer at the dorsum of the left hand
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2006
- Citation
- 0634498
Veterans Law Judge
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0634498.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for porphyria cutanea tarda, finding that it manifested within one year of his exposure to herbicides in Vietnam. The appeal is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for an additional addendum opinion to determine whether any associated exceptional or unusual disability is associated with the Veteran's porphyria cutanea tarda.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the effective date of service connection for porphyria cutanea tarda was dismissed due to untimeliness.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including hyperlipidemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver, dizziness, left shoulder pains, and others, as additional development is necessary to address pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.
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