The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for myelodysplastic syndrome and thrombocytopenia due to exposure to herbicides (Agent Orange). The VA will seek a medical opinion on whether these conditions are related to the Veteran's in-service exposure.
The deciding factor: The current evidence does not provide sufficient information to determine if the Veteran’s myelodysplastic syndrome and thrombocytopenia are due to his in-service herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), thrombocytopenia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19122194
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,911 · Granted: 10% (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 19122194.
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 denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for blood cancer, leukemia, eye disorder, myelodysplastic syndrome, and thrombocytopenia due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by his military service. The case is remanded for further development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) due to presumed exposure to environmental hazards during military service, specifically burn pits. The Veteran's MDS is considered presumptively related to his Gulf War service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for myeloproliferative disorder and thrombocytopenia, related to in-service radiation exposure during Operation Tomodachi, are being remanded due to the need for a VA examination. The issues of entitlement to a temporary total disability rating due to hospitalization or treatment for a service-connected condition requiring convalescence are also being remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the service connection claims.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for leukemia, thrombocytopenia, and bone marrow transplant with acquired agranulocytosis. The Veteran's Fanconi anemia is not considered a service-connected condition due to its congenital nature. Service connection was also denied for hepatocarcinoma and cirrhosis of the liver.
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