The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and conflicting evidence on the Veteran's cause of death. The Appellant is seeking service connection for cause of death, but there are issues with the medical documentation provided.
The deciding factor: There is a lack of clear and convincing medical evidence regarding the cause of the Veteran's death and conflicting statements from witnesses.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute leukemia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20001382
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (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 20001382.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of VA examination and medical nexus opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service and his death, specifically acute leukemia. The claim will be reviewed with an appropriate VA examiner.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, acute leukemia, is granted as service-connected due to the approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding the merits of the issue. The Board concludes that there is no known nexus between Agent Orange exposure and the development of AML.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death and dismissed the appeal regarding SMC based on the need for aid and attendance for the surviving spouse.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, acute leukemia, was not service-connected as it did not manifest in service or for many years thereafter and is not related to service.
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