The Board granted service connection for the cause of death due to metastatic malignant melanoma, which was determined to be caused by toxic exposure during active duty. Accrued benefits were denied as no application was received within one year of the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The evidence was considered equally balanced, and reasonable doubt was resolved in favor of the appellant, leading to the grant of service connection for the cause of death. However, the claim for accrued benefits was denied due to a lack of timely application.
- Claimed conditions
- Metastatic malignant melanoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2025
- Citation
- A25103966
Veterans Law Judge
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 A25103966.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
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