The Veteran's cause of death was due to metastatic melanoma, which the Board found not related to his service-connected cold injury residuals. The claim for service connection for the cause of death is denied.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support a causal link between the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities and his cause of death (metastatic melanoma).
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic melanoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20068636
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 has decided to remand the case due to a failure to reschedule an examination, and a new one must be scheduled for the Veteran.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and the claim for DIC benefits pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that metastatic melanoma was related to sun exposure during active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and a VA opinion to determine if the veteran's cause of death was related to his active service.
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