The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's malignant skin neoplasms were incurred during service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions are divided on whether the Veteran's skin disability was related to his military service. However, the Board finds that the evidence supports a finding of in-service sun exposure which could have contributed to the development of the Veteran's skin cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- malignant skin neoplasms
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 4, 2021
- Citation
- 21061616
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 145 · Granted: 26% (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 21061616.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, malignant skin neoplasms, and neoplasms of uncertain behavior based on the Veteran's presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's hypertension is granted as presumptively related to herbicide exposure during service, but the issue of direct service connection for hypertension is remanded.,Service connection for malignant skin neoplasms and bilateral lower extremity peripheral nerve disability is denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a scar of the right axilla caused by the Veteran's service-connected Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, it denied service connection for malignant skin neoplasms as they are not attributable to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's diagnosed Basal Cell Carcinoma is found to be related to his exposure to sunlight while serving in the Republic of Vietnam, and service connection for this condition is granted.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.