The Board has determined that it is as likely as not that the Veteran's leukemia was caused by his exposure to herbicides in service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the link between Agent Orange exposure and the causality of MDS and AML (a type of leukemia) has never been clearly proven but only suggested due to evidence of direct DNA damage and mitochondrial instability affecting immune responses against malignancies. The Veteran's prior exposures to herbicides are more likely than not related to his acute myelogenous leukemia.
- Claimed conditions
- Leukemia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19182930
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 service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that his leukemia was related to in-service exposure to jet fuels, benzene, and TCE.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of [REDACTED], 2016, for the award of dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) based on direct service connection for the Veteran's cause of death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for leukemia and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) based on the Veteran's death, finding that his in-service exposure to chemicals contributed to his leukemia which was a significant cause of his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for leukemia to afford the Veteran a VA examination to determine its nature and etiology.
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