The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran's spouse, linking his MDS to herbicide agent exposure during service. The decision is pending verification of whether the USS Porterfield was within Vietnam's territorial sea.
The deciding factor: Verification is needed to confirm if the USS Porterfield operated within Vietnam's territorial sea during the relevant dates.
- Claimed conditions
- myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20005413
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,772 · Granted: 37% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20005413.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) due to presumed exposure to environmental hazards during military service, specifically burn pits. The Veteran's MDS is considered presumptively related to his Gulf War service.
- Granted
Service connection for MDS is granted, and a higher initial disability rating of 40 percent for the service-connected back disability is also granted. Other issues on appeal are resolved in favor of the appellant.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents, and thus service connection for MDS is granted.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
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