The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for leukemia, including as secondary to herbicide exposure. The evidence does not support a finding that the veteran has CLL and his CML is not presumed due to Agent Orange exposure.
The deciding factor: There was no in-service diagnosis of leukemia or any other blood-related disorder, and the VA physician's opinion regarding causation by herbicide exposure is speculative.
- Claimed conditions
- CML, CLL
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 15, 2008
- Citation
- 0831498
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0831498.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was attributed to respiratory failure, overwhelming sepsis, and hypotension. The Appellant seeks service connection for the cause of her husband's death, alleging that it was due to complications from a bone marrow transplant related to chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). However, there is no evidence confirming CML or its development during service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board finds that the evidence is at least in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's fatal AML and CML were related to chemical exposures in service, specifically Agent Orange exposure. After resolving all doubt in favor of the appellant, the Board grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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