The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are not etiologically related to his in-service herbicide exposure or sun exposure, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions provided clear evidence against a finding of direct service connection due to lack of contemporaneous records indicating any skin condition during service and the Veteran's own history of significant sun exposure as a child and fair complexion increasing his risk for skin cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 16, 2014
- Citation
- 1432008
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 1432008.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a VA medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed blood clots in the left leg. The claim for service connection for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) remains denied.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma based on the Veteran's toxic exposures in service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including headaches, BCC, carpal tunnel, CFS, fibromyalgia, right ear hearing loss, lipoma, OSA, thoracic pain, neck pain, and peripheral neuropathy in the left and right lower extremities, as there was no medical evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a skin disability and hernias to obtain additional medical opinions, as the previous VA examinations are found insufficient.
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