The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that chronic myelogenous leukemia was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service and could not be presumed to have been incurred in service. The Board also found that the service-connected cluster headaches did not contribute substantially or materially to the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish exposure to herbicides, including Agent Orange, during service which would support a presumption of service connection for chronic myelogenous leukemia. Additionally, there is no direct evidence linking the service-connected cluster headaches to the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2000
- Citation
- 0033296
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 0033296.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by chronic myelogenous leukemia, a condition that is not service-connected. The Board granted the claim for DIC based on this finding.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic myelogenous leukemia is granted with an effective date of March 15, 2016.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic myelogenous leukemia, finding that it is not a B-cell leukemia and thus not presumptively associated with exposure to herbicide agents during his service.
- Granted
The Board has restored service connection for chronic myelogenous leukemia due to the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam. The original grant of service connection was based on presumptive conditions, but the Board found that this decision was not clearly erroneous and thus restoration is granted.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.