The Board remands the matter for an adequate medical opinion to address whether the Veteran's principal causes of death were related to his service, specifically focusing on sun exposure.
The deciding factor: The August 2023 VA opinion was found inadequate due to conflicting evidence and lack of rationale regarding the connection between the Veteran's melanoma and his cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, malignant pleural effusion, metastatic cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2024
- Citation
- A24065062
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 of service connection for cause of death, esophageal carcinoma, malignant pleural effusion, and cardiopulmonary failure. The medical evidence did not support a link between these conditions and his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, attributing it to cancer that was first medically shown many years after service and not related to Agent Orange exposure.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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