The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions and a need for another opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected cold injury residuals caused or contributed to his metastatic melanoma, which led to his death.
The deciding factor: The Court found that the previous medical opinions were insufficient as they did not provide a reasoned explanation connecting the referenced medical literature to their conclusions based on general risk factors of developing melanoma due to cold skin injuries.
- Claimed conditions
- cold injury residuals, metastatic melanoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19162632
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 19162632.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded all issues to correct errors in assisting the veteran, including obtaining missing records.
- Granted
The Veteran's request to reopen claims for back pain and cold injury residuals of the extremities is granted. The claim for service connection for back pain remains denied, while the claim for cold injury residuals of the extremities is remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to deficiencies in obtained contract medical opinions, particularly regarding potential links between the Veteran's service and his death from metastatic melanoma. The examiner is required to address submitted literature and consider contributory causes of death as listed on the death certificate.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was due to metastatic melanoma, which the Board found not related to his service-connected cold injury residuals. The claim for service connection for the cause of death is denied.
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