The Veteran's polycythemia vera was not incurred or aggravated by service, including exposure to ionizing radiation. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection.
The deciding factor: The August 2015 VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's polycythemia vera is less likely than not caused by his in-service duty station and duties, as it was diagnosed over 50 years after discharge. The examiner noted that there is no clinical evidence of a positive cause and effect relationship for polycythemia vera due to radar exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- polycythemia vera
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 20, 2017
- Citation
- 1728517
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 1728517.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for heart attack, kidney stones, polycythemia vera, diabetes mellitus type 2, and psoriasis is remanded due to inadequate VA opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's headaches may be related to his service-connected polycythemia vera and/or acquired psychiatric disorder, but more evidence is needed to clarify the nature and etiology of his headaches.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's polycythemia vera is caused by in-service exposure to benzene, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's polycythemia vera is granted as service connected due to exposure to herbicide agents during service.
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