The Board denied service connection for skin cancer including squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, as well as service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD. The decision is based on the lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or any presumptive exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's skin cancers were not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period, nor are they otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease. The acquired psychiatric disorder was not diagnosed until decades after active service and is not linked to any in-service stressor.
- Claimed conditions
- skin cancer to include squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19105326
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,902 · Granted: 11% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19105326.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea and Meniere's syndrome (vertigo) but remanded claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD, a back disability, heart palpitations, and varicose veins.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for PTSD was granted. Other claims, including obstructive sleep apnea and TBI residuals, were remanded for further review.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for PTSD has been dismissed due to their death. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to additional evidence added to the record and new VA examinations are required.
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