The Veteran contends that he has B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia due to herbicide exposure while stationed on an aircraft carrier off the coast of the Republic of Vietnam. The RO determined that efforts must be undertaken to obtain his complete service personnel records and determine if he was exposed to herbicides during his service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's ship, USS Kearsarge, served in the official waters of the Republic of Vietnam but further development is needed to determine if it entered an inland waterway as defined by VA for purposes of presumptive exposure to herbicides.
- Claimed conditions
- B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2015
- Citation
- 1518601
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 1518601.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for CLL is reopened due to new and material evidence. The case is remanded to verify the Veteran's exposure to herbicides in Okinawa, Japan.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection due to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for skin cancer. The issues of service connection for B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and kidney cancer are remanded.
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