The Board has determined that the Veteran's current skin cancer is not related to his active service, as there are no in-service records of skin cancer and the medical evidence does not support a link between the condition and service. The preponderance of the evidence shows that the skin cancer developed due to sun exposure over many years after service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found that the Veteran's current skin cancer is more likely related to cumulative sun exposure over decades following service than to any in-service sun exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Skin cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19186239
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board granted service connection for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus type II, both presumed to be related to exposure to herbicides during ACDUTRA at Fort McClellan. The claims for benign prostatic hyperplasia, headaches, and skin cancer were remanded.
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The Board granted service connection for Non Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy with macular edema secondary to diabetes mellitus and denied the claims for a right shoulder condition, right upper extremity neuropathy, and skin cancer.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for heart condition, hypertension, prostate cancer, and skin cancer due to in-service herbicide exposure but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and obstructive sleep apnea.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD and remanded the claim for skin cancer due to a pre-decisional, duty-to-assist error.
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