The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for skin cancer, including BCC and SCC, as a result of exposure to ionizing radiation. The DTRA determined that the likelihood of causation was low.
The deciding factor: VA's Director concluded it is unlikely the Veteran's skin cancers are attributable to exposure to ionizing radiation in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Basal cell carcinoma (BCC), Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 5, 2013
- Citation
- 1328396
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 1328396.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma as secondary to actinic keratosis, which is a progression of the Veteran's service-connected dermatitis. The effective date for the grant of service connection for painful scars of the face was denied earlier than October 20, 2022.
- Partly granted
The appeal was granted for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and denied for a compensable rating of bilateral hearing loss and hypertension, with the service connection for a heart condition being dismissed.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for scars related to BCC, SCC, and SK was denied. A separate 20 percent rating was granted for painful scars on the scalp and left forehead.
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