The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and determined that there is at least equipoise evidence to support a finding that the left shoulder lesion at service discharge was a benign nevus or melanoma, which developed into metastatic melanoma causing the Veteran's death. Therefore, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is at least equipoise evidence to support a finding that the left shoulder lesion at service discharge was a benign nevus or melanoma, which developed into metastatic melanoma causing the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- melanoma, benign mole
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19191479
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 19191479.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable rating for melanoma, as the evidence did not support a compensable rating at any point during the period on appeal.
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