The Veteran's residuals of malignant melanoma of the back and right axilla are manifested by two painful scars, with the scar on the back being deep and non-linear covering an area of approximately 25 square centimeters. The right axillary scar is linear but not painful. As such, a rating in excess of 10 percent is not warranted under any applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's scars do not meet the criteria for higher ratings under Diagnostic Codes 7804 (painful superficial scars), 7801-7803 (superficial scars with limited motion or area greater than 929 square centimeters), or 7805 (impairment of function).
- Claimed conditions
- Malignant melanoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 7, 2012
- Citation
- 1241785
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 1241785.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a 10 percent evaluation for residuals of malignant melanoma with BCC and SCC was granted. However, the claims for compensable ratings for scars associated with these conditions were denied.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for malignant melanoma, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between the current diagnosis and active service.
- Granted
The Veteran's malignant melanoma is granted service connection, with the claim being considered presumptive due to exposure to burn pits during his deployment in Iraq.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for service connection for malignant melanoma, lung cancer, kidney disability, hypertension, and TDIU.
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