The Veteran's leukemia is not service-connected, and his malaria was not caused or made worse by military service. The cause of death due to respiratory failure with adult respiratory distress syndrome was attributed to chronic myelogenous leukemia.
The deciding factor: Chronic myelogenous leukemia contributed significantly to the Veteran's death but was not related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Leukemia, Malaria
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- April 8, 2015
- Citation
- 1515238
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 1515238.
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.
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- Granted
The Veteran is granted higher levels of SMC and aid and attendance special monthly compensation effective May 3, 2024, due to his service-connected conditions that require regular aid and assistance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in duty to assist and needs additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's leukemia.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for malaria, tinnitus, and bilateral foot disability due to a lack of current disabilities and insufficient evidence linking these conditions to service.
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