The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death was not attributable to a disability incurred in or aggravated by service, including as secondary to his service-connected diabetes.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners determined that the Veteran's myelodysplasia/leukemia did not materially contribute to his death and were unrelated to his service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Pulseless Electrical Activity (Cardiac Arrest), Hypoxic Respiratory Failure, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Pneumonia, Leukemia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 19, 2018
- Citation
- 1803733
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 1803733.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain an adequate opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically addressing toxic exposures during service and submitted medical literature.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that his leukemia was related to in-service exposure to jet fuels, benzene, and TCE.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of [REDACTED], 2016, for the award of dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) based on direct service connection for the Veteran's cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a VA examination to address all respiratory disabilities found or shown during the appeal period and to determine their relationship to service, including exposure to toxic or environmental hazards.
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