The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including clarification of the Under Secretary's January 2011 opinion regarding ionizing radiation exposure and tobacco use during service.
The deciding factor: The case requires a clarification of the Under Secretary's previous opinion due to new evidence suggesting a synergistic effect between ionizing radiation and smoking on the Veteran's condition.
- Claimed conditions
- acute myelocytic leukemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 6, 2011
- Citation
- 1132785
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 1132785.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for myelofibrosis and acute myelocytic leukemia, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam service.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's acute myelocytic leukemia is due to in-service chemical exposure, specifically carbon tetrachloride, benzene, and trichloroethylene. As such, service connection for this condition is granted.
- Granted
The Veteran died from acute myelocytic leukemia, which was due to her service-connected myelodysplastic syndrome. The Board finds that the cause of death is related to service and grants service connection for both conditions for accrued benefits purposes.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was not caused or contributed to by any service-connected disability, including discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). The VA examiner found that DLE did not contribute to the Veteran's death.
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