The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's Merkel cell carcinoma and its residuals are related to his service, including exposure to Agent Orange during service in Vietnam. The skin disorders other than Merkel cell carcinoma have also been diagnosed but a VA examination is needed to determine their etiology.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's Merkel cell carcinoma and its residuals are related to his service, including exposure to Agent Orange during service in Vietnam. A VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of any skin disorders other than Merkel cell carcinoma.
- Claimed conditions
- Merkel cell carcinoma, actinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2016
- Citation
- 1640492
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 1640492.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's basal cell carcinoma. The Veteran is seeking service connection for this condition, which he claims was caused by exposure to water-based contaminants at Camp Lejeune during his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for actinic keratosis, finding that his condition had its onset during active duty and is related to exposure to harmful sun while deployed in Afghanistan.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and actinic keratosis as the appeal is considered duplicative of a previous decision.
- Partly granted
The Board has determined that the severance of service connection for neoplasm hard and soft tissue of the mouth was improper, as there is conflicting medical evidence regarding the cause of the condition. The Veteran's conditions are related to his active duty service.
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