The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development related to exposure to ionizing radiation during service and a need for further medical opinions regarding the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The VA needs to complete the required development steps, including obtaining a dose estimate based on available methodologies and an opinion from a physician regarding whether leukemia was caused or contributed to the Veteran's death due to exposure to ionizing radiation during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Leukemia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19187127
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 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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