The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to lack of evidence showing that chronic myelogenous leukemia was related to exposure to herbicides in service.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show a relationship between the veteran's cancer and exposure to chemicals while serving in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic myelogenous leukemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2005
- Citation
- 0500509
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 493 · Granted: 28% (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 0500509.
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 Veteran's chronic myelogenous leukemia is presumed to be related to in-service herbicide exposure, but a medical opinion is needed to determine if it is directly linked.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error and requires further examination to determine if the Veteran's leukemia disability is related to service, including toxic exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for an addendum etiology opinion to determine if the Veteran's chronic myelogenous leukemia was incurred in or caused by military service, including conceded exposure to herbicide agents during service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic myelogenous leukemia based on the Veteran's presumed exposure to fine particulate matter during his service in Southwest Asia.
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.