The Veteran's Merkel cell carcinoma is granted service connection due to presumed exposure to Agent Orange during his military service.
The deciding factor: A VA hematologist/oncologist concluded that the Veteran's Merkel cell carcinoma is more likely than not related to Agent Orange Exposure based on their personal experience and medical literature.
- Claimed conditions
- Merkel cell carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2026
- Citation
- A26025441
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 A26025441.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for Merkel cell carcinoma, finding that it was caused by herbicide agent exposure during his service in the Republic of Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for Merkel cell carcinoma, left knee disability, and neck disability to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Merkel cell carcinoma based on the Veteran's presumed exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for Merkel cell carcinoma is granted, as the Board finds that his exposure to herbicide agents during military service in Vietnam is etiologically related to his current diagnosis.
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