The Veteran's cause of death was not caused by service-connected conditions or exposure to herbicide agents in the Vietnam War. The Board denied both the claim for service connection and the request for accrued benefits.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing that the Veteran served in the Republic of Vietnam, received exposure to herbicide agents during his service, or had a service-connected condition that caused his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Mantle Cell Lymphoma, Bacteremia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 13, 2018
- Citation
- 18100488
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 18100488.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's CLL is presumed to be related to his service in Thailand due to exposure to herbicide agents, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD alone has prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation since September 23, 2020. TDIU is granted effective that date.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable disability rating for CLL and a TDIU is being remanded due to concerns about the adequacy of the December 2023 VA examination and because the RO has not provided explicit notice on the TDIU issue.
- Granted
The Veteran's chronic lymphocytic leukemia is presumed to be related to his military service due to exposure to herbicide agents, specifically Agent Orange. The claim for service connection is granted.
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