The Board remands the claim for service connection of melanoma to obtain an addendum opinion addressing whether the Veteran's melanoma is related to in-service sun exposure.
The deciding factor: The failure to obtain an adequate VA medical opinion addressing the direct service connection theory of entitlement is a pre-decisional duty to assist error that must be remedied.
- Claimed conditions
- melanoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25048131
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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