The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that his service-connected leg ulcer disability did not contribute to or cause his death. The appeal was also denied regarding Chapter 35 benefits.
The deciding factor: The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected right leg ulcer disability did not cause or contribute to his death from sepsis due to leukemia.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute myelogenous leukemia, Chronic ulcers of the right leg
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2003
- Citation
- 0305802
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,547 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0305802.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for acute myelogenous leukemia due to an inadequate medical opinion and a need to address direct service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's acute myelogenous leukemia is granted as service connected due to in-service herbicide exposure, with the Board finding that his condition was likely caused by this exposure.
- Denied
The VA withheld compensation benefits to recoup separation pay in the amount of $17,513.28 due to a statutory requirement and the decision is denied as it was proper.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed acute myelogenous leukemia is at least as likely as not related to his active service, including exposure to chemicals released from burn pits during his deployment in Afghanistan.
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