The Board has granted the Veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) and has determined that CML is related to exposure to burn pit smoke during active duty in Iraq. The effective date of this decision is not specified.
The deciding factor: The expert provided a medical opinion supporting the Veteran's contention that his CML was caused by exposure to burn pit smoke while on active duty, which significantly increased the risk for developing a malignancy.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19165559
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,699 · Granted: 17% (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 19165559.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted a 100 percent rating for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia from June 4, 2014 to September 27, 2018 and a 30 percent rating thereafter. The Veteran's CML was in remission during the latter period.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) is granted. The issue of service connection for Behcet's Syndrome, due to presumed exposure at Camp Lejeune, is remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an effective date of August 7, 2023 for service connection of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), which was denied in a previous rating decision. The claim was received within one year of the PACT Act's effective date and meets eligibility criteria.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, respiratory failure and overwhelming sepsis with contributory hypotension, was attributed to his underlying Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), which developed as a result of the bone marrow transplant he underwent due to CML. The Board found that service connection for CML could not be established because there was no evidence showing it was incurred during or aggravated by service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.