The Board denied entitlement to service connection for neutropenia and thyroid cancer, claimed as due to ionizing radiation exposure, for accrued benefits purposes, on the basis that the claim lacked legal merit; and also found no evidence of a disability related to the Veteran's active military service or a service-connected disability that caused his death.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the competent medical evidence is against a finding that the cause of the Veteran's death was related to his active military service, or to a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Neutropenia, Thyroid Cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2009
- Citation
- 0905693
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Myelodysplastic Syndrome, Prostate Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, and Parkinson's Disease based on new and relevant evidence of exposure to toxic chemicals during active service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus, but remanded the claim for thyroid cancer due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several claims for additional development, including new VA examinations and opinions to address the severity of service-connected disabilities and their relationship to service. The Veteran's claims include multiple conditions such as cervical spine disability, neutropenia, right foot disability, scar on the right hand, skin condition, left knee scar, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, low back disability, right knee disability, heart disability (chest pains), and right eye disability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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