Citation Nr: 21076720 Decision Date: 12/27/21 Archive Date: 12/27/21 DOCKET NO. 18-09 135 DATE: December 27, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for skin cancer is remanded. Entitlement to service connection for a left wrist condition is remanded. Entitlement to service connection for a right wrist condition is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Navy from July 1987 to May 1990. She also had periods of Reserves service. The matters arise before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) from an August 2017 rating decision. The Veteran testified before the undersigned Veteran's Law Judge at an August 2021 Board Hearing. 1. 3. The claims for service connection for skin cancer and for bilateral wrist conditions are remanded. As an initial matter, as discussed at the August 2021 Board Hearing, the Veteran had periods of Reserves service that have yet to be verified and developed for service treatment records. In addition, there are outstanding records relevant to the bilateral wrist disability and skin cancer service connection claims, including VA records and updated treatment records from Dr. Kelly Adkins. Therefore, the claims must be remanded for additional development. Moreover, with respect to the bilateral wrist disability service connection claims, the Veteran reported that her bilateral wrist disabilities stem from an in-service motorcycle accident while on active duty in San Diego, CA in June 1988. With respect to her skin cancer service connection claim, the Veteran, who was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2018 (after she underwent a 2016 VA skin examination), reports that her skin cancer diagnosis stems from her sunburn sustained during her Reserves services. Therefore, after the Veteran's periods of Reserves service are verified and her outstanding relevant records are obtained and associated with the claims file, the Veteran must be afforded VA examinations and etiology opinions for her bilateral wrist disability and skin cancer service connection claims. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. With any assistance necessary from the Veteran, contact any appropriate source to obtain any outstanding active duty, ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA records and verify the precise dates of any active duty, ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA, to include any Reserve service. 2. With the assistance of the Veteran, obtain any outstanding records relevant to the Veteran's bilateral wrist disability and skin cancer claims, including skin cancer records from Dr. Kelly Adkins that the Veteran's indicated at the August 2021 Board Hearing, and the most recent VA treatment records. All steps taken must be documented and associated with the record. 3. After steps 1 and 2 are completed, obtain a new etiology opinion from a new examiner to assess the nature and etiology of the Veteran's bilateral wrist disabilities. Regardless of who offers the opinion, if the examiner determines that an opinion may not be offered without first examining the Veteran, then schedule the Veteran for an appropriate examination. After reviewing the claims folder and examining the Veteran, the examiner is specifically instructed to provide the following information: (a) Is it "at least as likely as not (50 percent probability or greater)" that the Veteran's bilateral wrist disability BEGAN IN or is related to her time in the service, yes or no? Moreover, in answering these questions, the examiner must specifically address and discuss: I. the Veteran's contention that when she was in Reserves service, she slid off a motorcycle, slid onto her hands and knees, which caused her wrists to jam into the pavement along with her knees, and that was the start of her wrist pain. See August 2021 Board Hearing Transcript, p. 3. 4. After steps 1 and 2 are completed, schedule a new VA examination and obtain a new etiology opinion from a new examiner to assess the nature and etiology of the Veteran's skin cancer. After reviewing the claims folder and examining the Veteran, for the Veteran's skin cancer, the examiner is specifically instructed to provide the following information: (a) Is it "at least as likely as not (50 percent probability or greater)" that the Veteran's skin cancer BEGAN IN or is related to her time in the service, yes or no? Moreover, in answering these questions, the examiner must specifically address and discuss: I. the Veteran's contention that she sustained bad sunburn when she was in bootcamp in Orlando, Florida, and stationed in San Diego, California, and also when she was in the Reserves, doing a two-week stint in Key West, Florida. She reported that she received cream for sunburn. She reported that even though she was not diagnosed with skin cancer on her nose until 2018, it was because she had thought for many years that it was a wart on her nose. See August 2021 Board Hearing, p. 9. H.M. WALKER Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board C. J. Cho, Counsel The Board's decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.