The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his leukemia or pulmonary fibrosis to his military service or Agent Orange exposure.
The deciding factor: The medical expert found that the veteran's chronic lymphocytic leukemia and pulmonary fibrosis were not related to his period of active duty or military service, nor to exposure to Agent Orange.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lymphocytic leukemia, pulmonary fibrosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2002
- Citation
- 0214589
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0214589.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied as the evidence did not establish that he is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for pulmonary fibrosis as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's pulmonary fibrosis is related to in-service exposure to herbicide agents, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's causes of death were not found to be service-connected, as there was no credible evidence linking the conditions to his military service.
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