The Veteran's respiratory disorder, skin cancer, and PMLE were not incurred or aggravated by service. The Board found no evidence of a relationship between the conditions and service.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence linking the Veteran's current respiratory disorder, skin cancer, and PMLE to his military service or exposure to herbicides. The most likely cause for these conditions is a history of smoking and sun exposure post-service.
- Claimed conditions
- Respiratory Disorder (COPD), Skin Cancer, Polymorphous Light Eruptions (PMLE)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 15, 2017
- Citation
- 1739805
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 1739805.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's ESRD is denied as not related to service, including herbicide agent exposure. The skin cancer of the right ear remains under remand for further evaluation.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several disabilities, including left thumb, left wrist, right hip, back, and sciatic nerve conditions, but denied service connection for diabetes mellitus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, respiratory disorder, and sleep apnea due to pre-decisional errors in verifying all periods of service and failing to obtain necessary examinations.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for hypertension was denied, and the issue of service connection for skin cancer is remanded.,The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating based on his blood pressure readings.
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