The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's malignant melanoma, and the case is being remanded for this purpose.
The deciding factor: The record does not contain sufficient competent medical evidence on file to make a decision regarding the service connection claim due to the absence of an opinion linking the Veteran's current disability to his active service. The Veteran should be afforded a VA examination in order to determine whether there is a causal relationship between active military service and each diagnosed disability.
- Claimed conditions
- malignant melanoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2012
- Citation
- 1201598
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 1201598.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for malignant melanoma, finding that there was no evidence linking the condition to his active duty service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for her scars has been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of this claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA did not obtain all necessary service treatment records and failed to provide a VA medical opinion addressing the cause of death. The claim is being remanded for these actions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for malignant melanoma and lung cancer due to a failure to fully develop the record regarding toxic risk exposure activities. The Veteran's service records indicate he was exposed to herbicides during his military service, but further development is needed to include non-herbicide exposures.
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