The veteran's claim for service connection for polycythemia vera as residual to ionizing radiation exposure was denied because the disease is not considered a radiogenic disease under VA regulations, and there is no evidence of radiation exposure in his service records.
The deciding factor: Polycythemia vera was found not to be a radiogenic disease subject to presumptive service connection based on radiation exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- polycythemia vera
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2002
- Citation
- 0202427
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 0202427.
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 Board granted service connection for polycythemia vera, finding a nexus to in-service herbicide agent exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for additional development, including verifying the Veteran's claimed exposure to ionizing radiation and providing a new medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 60 percent evaluation for polycythemia vera, as the Veteran was prescribed molecularly targeted therapy to control red blood cell count.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for polycythemia vera to obtain additional records from the Veteran's community care provider.
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