The Board found that the cause of death, myelodysplastic syndrome, was not service-connected and did not contribute to or accelerate the veteran's death. The appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death was denied.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing a myelodysplastic syndrome during service or that it was related back to service. Additionally, none of the veteran's service-connected disabilities were found to have contributed to his cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- myelodysplastic syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2002
- Citation
- 0217797
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 0217797.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an increased rating for prostate cancer and a compensable rating for myelodysplastic syndrome, but granted a separate rating for fatigue as a residual symptom of the service-connected myelodysplastic syndrome.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for myelodysplastic syndrome and thrombocytopenia, as well as Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) based on the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for myelodysplastic syndrome, finding that the Veteran had presumptive exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's significant conditions at the time of his death were related to his service, including any toxic exposure risk activities (TERA), and if so, whether they had a material influence on the acceleration of his death.
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