The Veteran's polycythemia vera was not incurred in service, and the Board found no causal link between his current condition and exposure to toxic chemicals during active duty.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish a nexus between the Veteran’s polycythemia vera and his alleged exposure to toxic chemicals during active service.
- Claimed conditions
- polycythemia vera
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18143198
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 18143198.
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 Board granted service connection for polycythemia vera, finding a nexus to in-service herbicide agent exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for additional development, including verifying the Veteran's claimed exposure to ionizing radiation and providing a new medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 60 percent evaluation for polycythemia vera, as the Veteran was prescribed molecularly targeted therapy to control red blood cell count.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for polycythemia vera to obtain additional records from the Veteran's community care provider.
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