The Board has granted service connection for skin cancer and GERD, but denied service connection for a right knee disability. The claim of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea is remanded.,Service connection was granted for skin cancer based on the Veteran's credible report of exposure to smoke from oil fires during service.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish a nexus between the Veteran’s right knee condition and his military service, as there are no in-service complaints or diagnoses related to this issue. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against finding a nexus.,The Veteran's skin cancer was found to be at least as likely as not related to his time in service when he was exposed to burning oil fields and excessive sun exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Strain, Skin Cancer (Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Basal Cell Carcinoma), Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20074031
Veterans Law Judge
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 20074031.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is granted at a 70 percent rating prior to July 29, 2024. The GERD rating remains at 30 percent disabled but no higher.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's IBS with GERD was granted an initial 60 percent rating. The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and development.
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