The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for the cause of death and DIC benefits due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents or jet fuel during his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is conflicting information about the Veteran’s service in Vietnam, and further investigation is needed to determine if he served in Vietnam at any time during his first period of service. Additionally, a medical opinion is required regarding the relationship between the Veteran's leukemia and his active service.
- Claimed conditions
- acute leukemia, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia-1
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2018
- Citation
- 18147955
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 18147955.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to his service-connected disabilities, specifically myelodysplastic syndrome and acute leukemia. The decision is based on the presumption that these conditions are related to herbicide exposure during the Veteran's service in Thailand.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was respiratory failure due to or as a consequence of intracerebral hemorrhage and acute leukemia. The Board found no service-connected disabilities at the time of his death, and there is no evidence of herbicide agent exposure. Service connection for the Veteran's cause of death is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and the need for a medical opinion regarding the cause of death.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death was not due to his service-connected disabilities, including hypertension and related cerebrovascular accident residuals or acute monocytic leukemia.
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