The Veteran's death was granted service connection for the cause of his death due to metastatic cancer, presumed to be related to Agent Orange exposure. However, there is no evidence of CLL prior to the Veteran's death and he did not file a claim for CLL before passing away. Therefore, the claim cannot be granted as retroactive benefits.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was diagnosed with metastatic cancer at his death, presumed to be related to Agent Orange exposure. However, there is no evidence of CLL prior to the Veteran's death and he did not file a claim for CLL before passing away.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2009
- Citation
- 0947637
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 0947637.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's CLL is presumed to be related to his service in Thailand due to exposure to herbicide agents, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable disability rating for CLL and a TDIU is being remanded due to concerns about the adequacy of the December 2023 VA examination and because the RO has not provided explicit notice on the TDIU issue.
- Granted
The Veteran's chronic lymphocytic leukemia is presumed to be related to his military service due to exposure to herbicide agents, specifically Agent Orange. The claim for service connection is granted.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) based on the Veteran's exposure to jet fuel during his military service, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to his condition.
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