The Board grants service connection for basal cell carcinoma, right lower eyelid and left neck based on the credible lay testimony regarding sun exposure during service and private physicians' opinions linking the carcinoma to in-service sun exposure.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in relative equipoise as to whether his basal cell carcinoma, right lower eyelid and left neck are directly related to sun exposure during service. When the totality of the evidence supports the Veteran's claims or is in relative equipoise, the Veteran prevails on his claim.
- Claimed conditions
- basal cell carcinoma, right lower eyelid, basal cell carcinoma, left neck
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 11, 2009
- Citation
- 0908994
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for supraventricular arrhythmias, basal cell carcinoma, kidney stones, and COPD as the AOJ failed to substantially comply with prior remand directives.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for basal cell carcinoma and a higher initial disability rating of 70 percent for other specified trauma-and-stressor-related disorder, while denying increased ratings for lumbosacral strain, right lower radiculopathy, bilateral hearing loss, chronic rhinitis, tension headaches, and mitral valve prolapse.
- Partly granted
The Board granted reconsideration of the issues of entitlement to service connection for basal cell carcinoma, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and bilateral upper and lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The claims for these conditions were previously denied but are now being readjudicated due to new evidence.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and actinic keratosis based on the Veteran's in-service exposure to solar radiation.
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