The Veteran's service connection claim for skin cancer, including as due to exposure to herbicides, is being remanded. The VA examiner must provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's diagnosed skin cancers are at least as likely as not caused by his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner was unable to provide a definitive opinion without resorting to speculation because there is no evidence of any disease presumptively associated with exposure to herbicides in the Veteran's case.
- Claimed conditions
- melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19111704
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 19111704.
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 Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma based on the Veteran's toxic exposures in service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including headaches, BCC, carpal tunnel, CFS, fibromyalgia, right ear hearing loss, lipoma, OSA, thoracic pain, neck pain, and peripheral neuropathy in the left and right lower extremities, as there was no medical evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, and obstructive sleep apnea based on toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) during the Veteran's service.
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