The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for skin cancer, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease in service or manifestation within one year of separation and that the Veteran's skin cancer was less likely than not related to his active service, including exposures to asbestos, Agent Orange, or radiation.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners opined that it was less likely than not that the Veteran's skin cancer was related to in-service exposure to asbestos, Agent Orange, or radiation, based on a review of the evidence and consideration of all potential toxic exposure risk activities.
- Claimed conditions
- skin cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 11, 2025
- Citation
- 25007832
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.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for skin cancer was dismissed due to untimeliness, while the claim for squamous cell carcinoma was granted.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the claims.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for skin cancer, including as due to participation in toxic exposure risk activity (TERA), finding no evidence of the disease during service or within a year after separation and noting that the earliest diagnosis was nearly 25 years post-service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for colon cancer, skin cancer, and prostate cancer. The Veteran was granted a 20% rating for right knee osteoarthritis status post meniscectomy with instability or subluxation and a 10% rating for a right knee scar.
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