The Veteran's cause of death is due to pneumonia, which was linked to his service-connected myelodysplastic syndrome. The Board finds a remand necessary for additional development regarding the Veteran’s exposure at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The Veteran had prior service in the U.S. Marine Corps and may have been exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, which could potentially link his myelodysplastic syndrome to his death from pneumonia.
- Claimed conditions
- myelodysplastic syndrome
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19129148
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,506 · Granted: 43% (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 19129148.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's red cell aplasia and myelodysplastic syndrome were not found to be related to service, specifically exposure at Camp Lejeune. The Board determined that the presumptive service connection for contaminated water exposure did not apply due to insufficient time spent at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cause of death is attributed to myelodysplastic syndrome, which the Board finds was not service-connected. The claim will be remanded for further investigation into whether exposure to herbicide agents during service caused or aggravated these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a blood/bone marrow disorder, including myelodysplastic syndrome, leukopenia, and neutropenia, is being remanded due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The Board acknowledges that the Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange during his military service in Vietnam.
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