The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to assess the nature and etiology of any diagnosed skin disability, including melanoma cancer of the face and hands, squamous cell cancer of the face, hands, and arms, and actinic keratosis. The Veteran is also requested to submit relevant treatment records from his 1976 surgery with Dr. K.
The deciding factor: The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to clarify the relationship between the Veteran's skin disabilities and his presumed exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- melanoma cancer of the face and hands, squamous cell cancer of the face, hands, and arms, actinic keratosis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 13, 2017
- Citation
- 1738558
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 1738558.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including adjustment disorder, benign skin lesions, actinic keratosis, poikiloderma, porokeratosis, Parkinson's disease, benign prostatic hypertrophy, hypertension, increased urinary frequency, diverticulosis, duodenal ulcer, and bilateral cataracts are all granted due to exposure to herbicide agents, mustard gas, and ionizing radiation during service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's request for an extension of time to file a Board Appeal request regarding the reduction in rating for actinic keratosis was denied, and the attempted appeal is dismissed.
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