The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for malignant melanoma, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus between his current condition and his in-service exposures. The Board also found no evidence of prostate cancer metastasis.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran’s malignant melanoma was less likely than not incurred in or caused by service-connected exposures to herbicides, jet fuel/fumes, and/or sun exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- malignant melanoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005634
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for malignant melanoma to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically to obtain a medical opinion that considers all in-service toxic exposures.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for malignant melanoma, finding it to be at least as likely as not due to in-service exposure to herbicides.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his service-connected asbestos exposure causing pleural calcifications contributed to his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for service connection for malignant melanoma to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors under the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 20.802.
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