The Board remands the claim for service connection for melanoma, right upper arm and right mid/upper back due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
The deciding factor: The TERA opinion did not provide an adequate rationale and no direct medical nexus opinion was associated with the record.
- Claimed conditions
- melanoma, right upper arm and right mid/upper back
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2025
- Citation
- A25028759
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for melanoma under the PACT Act, presumptively linking it to the Veteran's exposure to burn pits during his deployment in Saudi Arabia.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for melanoma, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran and finding that his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune caused his condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable rating for melanoma, as the evidence did not support a compensable rating at any point during the period on appeal.
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