The Board found that the Veteran's skin cancer, including malignant melanomas and basal cell carcinomas, was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and could not be presumed to have been incurred therein. The preponderance of evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's exposure to ionizing radiation during service and his current skin cancer.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions were against a nexus between the Veteran's in-service radiation exposure and his current skin cancer, finding that the probability was only 3 to 6 percent. The Board also noted that the Veteran's lay opinion as to the cause of his cancer cannot be accepted as competent medical evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- Skin Cancer, Malignant Melanoma, Basal Cell Carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 15, 2010
- Citation
- 1009767
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1009767.
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 Veteran's ESRD is denied as not related to service, including herbicide agent exposure. The skin cancer of the right ear remains under remand for further evaluation.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to perform daily activities of living without the assistance of another, and he is granted special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's malignant melanoma is granted service connection due to presumed exposure to herbicides during his active duty service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's malignant melanoma and related conditions have been granted increased ratings, effective dates for earlier effective dates, and SMC housebound status from January 18, 2024, to August 31, 2024.,Service connection has also been established for a right eye condition as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected malignant melanoma.
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