The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death, malignant melanoma, was related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a medical opinion is needed to determine if there is at least a 50% probability that the Veteran’s fatal malignant melanoma was related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- Malignant melanoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20007955
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for service connection for malignant melanoma, lung cancer, kidney disability, hypertension, and TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient consideration of the appellant's contention that the cause of the Veteran’s death, malignant melanoma, was related to sun exposure during service.
- Denied
The Board found that the preponderance of the evidence is against the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to malignant melanoma, as there was no evidence linking the condition to in-service sun exposure or any other aspect of military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, partial blindness, and malignant melanoma due to a lack of evidence supporting these conditions.
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