The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of a higher rating for his pulmonary disorder and service connection for his skin disability. The case is being remanded to obtain updated medical records, conduct further examinations, and provide an opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's skin conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the current evidence was insufficient to determine whether the Veteran's skin conditions are related to his military service or if they were caused by a different exposure basis (burn pit).
- Claimed conditions
- Pulmonary disorder, Actinic keratosis, Basal cell skin cancer, Squamous cell skin cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 8, 2018
- Citation
- 18101638
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 18101638.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's melanoma is granted service connection. Service connection for skin cancer other than melanoma is remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for arterioslerotic heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, chloracne, dermatitis, folliculitis, actinic keratosis, and dyshydrosis have been granted.,Service connection is established for the Veteran's arterioslerotic heart disease to include status post coronary artery bypass graft from July 25, 2011. The hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, and chloracne claims are also granted under presumptive service connection due to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his skin cancer and scar condition was denied as the evidence did not show that the disability more nearly approximated the criteria for a higher rating under any other diagnostic code.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for a heart disorder, Parkinson's disease, pulmonary disorder, skin rash, and posttraumatic stress disorder are dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
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