The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and DEA benefits, as there was no credible evidence that the Veteran's military service or any service-connected disability caused or contributed to his death.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not indicate a causal relationship between the Veteran's military service or any service-connected disabilities and his chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which led to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lymphocytic leukemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 19, 2009
- Citation
- 0906033
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 chronic lymphocytic leukemia, coronary artery disease with atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus type II, and Parkinson's disease based on presumptive service connection due to herbicide exposure.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and a skin disorder due to an improper concurrent election. The effective dates for the lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathies, and TDIU were denied as they did not meet the criteria for earlier effective dates.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for restoration of a compensable evaluation for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and service connection for chronic kidney disease.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which is presumed to be a result of herbicide exposure during the Veteran's military service.
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