The Board has determined that the veteran's cause of death, multiple myeloma, is presumptively related to exposure to ionizing radiation during his captivity as a POW in Japan. Therefore, service connection for the cause of the veteran's death from multiple myeloma due to such exposure is granted with an effective date of May 1, 1988.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the veteran was exposed to ionizing radiation during his captivity as a POW in Japan and that multiple myeloma is a presumptive disease related to such exposure. The effective date for service connection is set at May 1, 1988, which corresponds to the effective date of legislation establishing this presumption.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple Myeloma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2008
- Citation
- 0803597
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 0803597.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 multiple myeloma is rated as noncompensable, and the Board has determined that the disability picture does not adequately contemplate his symptoms of fatigue. The VA examiner noted marked interference with employment due to fatigue. Therefore, the claim for an increased rating is remanded for consideration of extraschedular considerations.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by multiple myeloma, which is presumed to be related to his exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand during the Vietnam War. The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death based on this presumption.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to December 2023 is remanded due to the presence of a 100% disability rating for multiple myeloma starting from December 21, 2023. The Board finds that the Veteran has not met the schedular criteria for a schedular TDIU rating and refers the case for extraschedular consideration.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for fatigue, dizziness, and chronic kidney disease secondary to the Veteran's service-connected multiple myeloma due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error.
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