The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for melanoma of the left shoulder, basal cell carcinoma of the neck and facial region, mass on the right adrenal gland, and enlarged prostate.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence associating the Veteran's claimed disorders with his military service. The earliest diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma was in May 2002, and there has been no documented recurrence of melanoma or any disorder of the prostate since the application for benefits. Additionally, none of the claimed disorders are considered presumptively connected to service as due to herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- melanoma of the left shoulder, basal cell carcinoma of the neck and facial region, mass on the right adrenal gland, enlarged prostate
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 13, 2009
- Citation
- 0905355
Veterans Law Judge
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 0905355.
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: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The claims for service connection and rating of various conditions have not progressed further.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension and enlarged prostate, finding that the Veteran did not serve in the Korean DMZ or otherwise expose to herbicide agents during his active duty. The evidence did not support a nexus between the conditions and service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for an enlarged prostate, incontinence, and steroid-induced diabetes mellitus type II are being remanded due to the AOJ not considering his private treatment records.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for an enlarged prostate, a skin condition (papulosquamous dermatitis), and a peripheral nerve injury of the thumb and elbow due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or any other relevant factors.
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