The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his death to his military service or exposure to Agent Orange.
The deciding factor: The post-service medical records did not show any link between the Veteran's death and his military service or exposure to herbicides used in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Metabolic acidosis, Overwhelming sepsis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 3, 2009
- Citation
- 0928870
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 0928870.
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 has determined that the Veteran's acute lymphoblastic leukemia is at least as likely as not related to his in-service exposure to radiation, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error regarding the cause of death and whether acute lymphoblastic leukemia was caused by exposure to herbicide agents in service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to conflicting medical evidence and a need for further development regarding the etiology of the Veteran's congestive heart failure, anca vasculitis, kidney failure, metabolic acidosis, and diabetic nephropathy.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by or proximately due to VA medical treatment, and the Board finds that there is no evidence of fault on the part of VA. As a result, DIC compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is denied.
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