The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining information about the veteran's exposure to pesticides and benzene during service. The VA specialist will provide an opinion on whether the veteran's in-service Agent Orange exposure (and/or other herbicide, pesticide, or benzene exposure) caused his death from Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myelocytic Leukemia.
The deciding factor: The Board found that further development is needed to verify the likelihood of the veteran's exposure to pesticides and benzene during service, including Agent Orange exposure. The VA specialist will provide an opinion on whether this exposure caused or contributed to his death from Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myelocytic Leukemia.
- Claimed conditions
- Myelodysplastic Syndrome, Acute Myelocytic Leukemia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 16, 2006
- Citation
- 0635618
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 0635618.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board found that the cause of death, acute myelogenous leukemia due to myelodysplastic syndrome, was not caused by or substantially related to service-connected disability. The veteran's exposure to chemicals during service could not be confirmed and there was no evidence linking his cause of death to any service-connected condition.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the veteran's acute myelocytic leukemia is due to exposure to ionizing radiation in service, leading to a grant of service connection.
- Denied
The veteran's cause of death was acute myelogenous leukemia, which is not service-connected due to lack of evidence of exposure to radiation during service and the absence of a 100% evaluation prior to his death. The DIC claim under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 also failed as there were no qualifying circumstances.
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