The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder (depression) is granted as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability. Service connection for skin cancer, polyarthralgia, right shoulder disorder, and left shoulder disorder are denied.
The deciding factor: Service connection was granted on a secondary basis for the Veteran’s acquired psychiatric disorder due to its association with his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Skin cancer, Acquired psychiatric disorder (depression), Polyarthralgias, Right shoulder disorder, Left shoulder disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19105765
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,162 · Granted: 21% (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 19105765.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in pre-decisional duty to assist and other statutory and regulatory duties. The appellant is not provided with proper notice for a cause of death claim, and further development is needed regarding herbicide agent exposure and radiation exposure during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder, left shoulder disorder, and right shoulder disorder are being remanded because they are inextricably intertwined with the implementation of his award for chronic osteomyelitis of the right lower extremity with a BKA.
- Granted
The Veteran's skin cancer and actinic keratoses are found to be related to his military service, specifically sun exposure as a lifeguard. The Board has granted the claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's GERD, elbow disorders, shoulder disorders, low back disorder, hip conditions, and knee conditions are being remanded for further examination and opinion to address the etiology of these conditions.
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