The Veteran's accrued benefits claim for service connection based on a pending claim of leukemia was denied as there is no evidence that the Veteran had leukemia or myelodysplasia syndrome during his lifetime. The Board found that the Veteran did not have leukemia at the time of death and that myelodysplasia syndrome, while possibly related to service, was not shown to be due to any herbicide or radiation exposure.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish a diagnosis of leukemia in the Veteran's lifetime. Myelodysplasia syndrome is not presumed for service connection based on herbicide or radiation exposure and there is no evidence linking myelodysplasia syndrome to service, including any reported exposure to ionizing radiation.
- Claimed conditions
- myelodysplasia syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 27, 2015
- Citation
- 1503884
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1503884.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for myelodysplasia syndrome to obtain a medical examination and opinion, as the previous VA examination was found inadequate.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for myelodysplasia syndrome, finding that there is no current diagnosis of this condition and thus not meeting the criteria for direct service connection.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for myelodysplasia syndrome, finding that the evidence did not support a link to active service or herbicide exposure.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for myelodysplasia syndrome and the cause of death, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service or exposure to herbicides.
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