The Board has determined that additional research and examinations are needed to determine if the Veteran's CLL and type II diabetes mellitus are related to in-service herbicide exposure, specifically during his service aboard the USS Hoel.
The deciding factor: The evidence is insufficient to establish a connection between the Veteran's conditions and in-service herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), type II diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19101082
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 granted an earlier effective date of April 5, 2011, for the grant of service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and an initial rating of 100 percent from that date to April 26, 2013.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) based on the Veteran's participation in toxic exposure risk activities during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for type II diabetes mellitus to address a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding VA not requesting private treatment records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia to correct duty to assist errors that occurred prior to the August 2024 rating decision.
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