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 assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20005413
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 remands the appeal for a new VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's MDS and potential AML and b-cell leukemia due to inadequacies in previous opinions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), to include anaplastic anemia, due to toxic exposure at Fort McClellan.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for myelodysplastic syndrome based on the Veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) as it was not shown to be related to the Veteran's service or any toxic exposure.
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