The Veteran's pancytopenia, including myelodysplastic syndrome, is being remanded for further evaluation due to the need for an addendum opinion regarding radiation exposure.
The deciding factor: An addendum opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran’s radiation dose exposure was sufficient to cause his pancytopenia and myelodysplastic syndrome.
- Claimed conditions
- pancytopenia, myelodysplastic syndrome
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Ionizing radiation
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19148161
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 service connection for myelodysplastic syndrome, finding that the Veteran had presumptive exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's significant conditions at the time of his death were related to his service, including any toxic exposure risk activities (TERA), and if so, whether they had a material influence on the acceleration of his death.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection and initial rating were dismissed due to an improper concurrent election of review options.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an initial compensable disability rating for pancytopenia and radiation induced anemia due to a need for further examination.
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