The Veteran's appeal for service connection for skin cancer was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made.,Service connection for PTSD was granted, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is at least an even balance of evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current PTSD is related to a verified stressor from service. The Veteran reported witnessing an aircraft crash while stationed aboard the USS Gurke, and this was corroborated by records. However, conflicting medical opinions were provided, with one psychologist stating the Veteran did not meet the criteria for PTSD due to his reported stressor, and another VA psychiatrist concluding that he did have PTSD related to various in-service stressors.
- Claimed conditions
- skin cancer, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19160219
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 19160219.
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 insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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