The Veteran's death was caused by acute leukemia, which the VA Board of Veterans' Appeals determined was due to herbicide agent exposure during his service in Vietnam. The Board found that there is a 50% likelihood that the leukemia was caused by this exposure and granted the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.
The deciding factor: The opinion of Dr. King supported that the Veteran's acute leukemia was at least as likely as not caused by herbicide agent exposure during his active service, considering the level of exposure to herbicides, latency period, and medical nature of the cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute leukemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 20, 2018
- Citation
- 18127920
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 18127920.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of VA examination and medical nexus opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service and his death, specifically acute leukemia. The claim will be reviewed with an appropriate VA examiner.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, acute leukemia, is granted as service-connected due to the approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding the merits of the issue. The Board concludes that there is no known nexus between Agent Orange exposure and the development of AML.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death and dismissed the appeal regarding SMC based on the need for aid and attendance for the surviving spouse.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, acute leukemia, was not service-connected as it did not manifest in service or for many years thereafter and is not related to service.
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