The Board denied service connection for metastatic melanoma of the lungs, finding that there was no evidence linking the condition to service or herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions were conflicting and speculative, with a VA examiner stating the cancer was more likely related to prior non-service-connected melanoma, while another doctor suggested it could be linked to herbicide exposure. The Board gave more weight to the VA examiner's opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic melanoma of the lungs
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 1, 2018
- Citation
- 18107293
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 18107293.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has determined that there is at least a 50% chance the Veteran's metastatic melanoma of the lungs was related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's metastatic melanoma of the lungs is related to his military service, if it is a progression of his pre-existing chest and shoulder condition, or if it is a separate condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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