The Veteran's service connection claim for multiple myeloma, claimed as due to herbicide exposure, is denied because his unit was not present in the Korean DMZ during the required time frame for presumed herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's unit was not present at the Korean DMZ during the required time frame (April 1968 - August 1971) for presumed herbicide exposure, and there is no evidence of service connection on a direct basis due to lack of in-service treatment records or diagnosis.
- Claimed conditions
- multiple myeloma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19138730
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (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 19138730.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 100 percent for service-connected multiple myeloma has been denied. The Board also remanded two issues related to nerve neuropathies, and the claims for TDIU and SMC have been denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for multiple myeloma and back problems due to a duty to assist error. For multiple myeloma, the Veteran's exposure to asbestos is not verified. For back problems, an addendum opinion is needed to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding her training-related injuries.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for multiple myeloma, finding that the evidence is in equipoise and resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the appellant.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for multiple myeloma, diabetes mellitus II, and coronary artery disease (CAD) based on the Veteran's in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
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