The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right ear basal cell carcinoma, a skin condition on the back (including chloracne and scar residuals), and an increased rating for ischemic heart disease. The Veteran's exposure to toxic herbicide agents in service is presumed.
The deciding factor: The Court found fault with the Board’s reliance on a June 2018 VA opinion, which attributed the right ear basal cell carcinoma to sunlight exposure over his lifetime rather than to his presumed exposure to toxic herbicides. The Court instructed the Board to either secure an examination addressing the potential etiological association between the condition and in-service sunlight exposure or provide an explanation for not doing so.
- Claimed conditions
- right ear basal cell carcinoma, skin disorder affecting the entire body (including chloracne and scar residuals)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20065952
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,548 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
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 20065952.
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 has denied service connection for pancreatitis and has remanded the issue of service connection for right ear basal cell carcinoma due to insufficient evidence regarding potential radiation exposure during service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for basal cell carcinoma of the left superior medial upper back, right ear, and right forearm based on in-service herbicide exposure.
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