The Veteran's squamous and basal cell skin cancer is being remanded for further examination to determine if it is related to his active service, including herbicide agent exposure. The issue of whether the skin cancer resulted from excessive sun exposure without protection during service will also be addressed.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner needs to review the Veteran's medical records and provide an opinion on the etiology of his squamous and basal cell skin cancer, considering both potential causes.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell skin cancer, basal cell skin cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2020
- Citation
- 20000370
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 remands the claim for service connection for basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer to obtain a VA opinion and examination, as required by the PACT Act due to the Veteran's participation in a toxic exposure risk activity during service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for squamous cell skin cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, tuberculosis, hematuria, hypercholesterolemia, and vitamin deficiency. However, the Board granted service connection for a right knee disorder, left knee disorder, and plantar fasciitis.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for basal cell skin cancer, finding no evidence of a direct causal relationship between the condition and his military service, including exposure to herbicides.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for basal cell skin cancer, hypertension, malignant melanoma, and residuals of cholecystectomy and partial colon resection for diverticular bleed has been withdrawn by the appellant.
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