The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's melanoma. The Veteran is presumed to have been exposed to herbicides during service, but melanoma is not among those diseases presumptively linked to herbicide exposure under VA regulations.
The deciding factor: The March 2019 medical opinion did not provide an adequate rationale for its conclusion that the Veteran's melanoma was less likely than not related to service because it is not presumptively related. The Board found this inadequate and ordered a remand to obtain an addendum opinion addressing all theories of entitlement.
- Claimed conditions
- melanoma (benign; mildly atypical)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19194498
Veterans Law Judge
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 19194498.
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
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