The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's Acute Myeloid Leukemia. The claim will be reviewed again with the inclusion of a VA examination and any additional relevant evidence.
The deciding factor: A medical opinion is needed to determine if there is at least a 50% probability that the Veteran’s Acute Myeloid Leukemia had its onset during active service or within one year of separation from service, including exposure to herbicide agents and aircraft emissions.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19105543
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,874 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19105543.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service personnel records, which may affect the Veteran's cause of death claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for acute myeloid leukemia is being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The AOJ needs to obtain an updated medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's AML, including its relationship to in-service herbicide exposure.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(o) and (r)(1) based on his need for aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, acute myeloid leukemia, is found to be directly related to his in-service exposure to Agent Orange and benzene. The claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
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