The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, finding that there was no causal relationship between his service-connected back disability and the malignant melanoma that caused his death. The Board also found that the appellant did not provide sufficient evidence to reopen the claim for service connection during the Veteran's lifetime.
The deciding factor: The most probative evidence showed that the Veteran’s service-connected back disability, including X-rays, CTs, and MRIs, did not cause or contribute substantially or materially to his death from malignant melanoma. The Board also found insufficient evidence to reopen the claim for service connection during the Veteran's lifetime.
- Claimed conditions
- Malignant Melanoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19139135
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 19139135.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
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