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
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (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 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 Veteran's service-connected PTSD and Leukemia have prevented him from obtaining or maintaining employment, leading to a grant of TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in duty to assist and needs additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's leukemia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure to obtain a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death was related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents, and whether it is at least as likely as not that the causes were proximately due or aggravated by service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for leukemia, finding that his exposure to radiation during Operation Sandstone qualifies him as a presumptive radiation-exposed veteran and thus meeting the criteria for service connection.
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