The Board has dismissed the veteran's appeals for service connection for left shoulder disability and an increased evaluation for a scar of the left knee due to his withdrawal of those claims. The claim for hairy cell leukemia was denied as there is no evidence linking the condition to military service or exposure to herbicides.
The deciding factor: The veteran did not serve in Vietnam, and there is no credible evidence of herbicide exposure during service. Hairy cell leukemia was diagnosed many years after service and without a link to service or any other known risk factors.
- Claimed conditions
- hairy cell leukemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 14, 2005
- Citation
- 0525038
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 0525038.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hairy cell leukemia and thrombocytopenia under the PACT Act, but remanded claims for further evidence.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hairy cell leukemia as due to herbicide exposure and the cause of death, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hairy cell leukemia as the evidence did not support a finding that it began during service, manifested to a compensable degree within one year after discharge from active duty, or was otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hairy cell leukemia, finding that the Veteran's condition is related to his military service and exposure to contaminated drinking water at Fort Sam Houston.
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