The Veteran's melanoma, which was the principal cause of his death, is considered service-connected due to its relation to military service. The Board found that the medical evidence supported a finding that the Veteran’s melanoma was caused by exposure to sunlight and herbicide agents during service.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion provided by the Veteran's treating physician established a link between the Veteran's melanoma and his in-service exposure, which is considered direct service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- melanoma, sepsis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19130952
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.
- 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 melanoma under the PACT Act, presumptively linking it to the Veteran's exposure to burn pits during his deployment in Saudi Arabia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for cause of death and dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) benefits due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding the appeal for service connection for cause of death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for melanoma, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran and finding that his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune caused his condition.
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