The Board has remanded the case to determine if the USS Sterlet, where the Veteran served during his active duty, was within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of Vietnam. If so, the appellant may be granted presumptive service connection for multiple myeloma due to Agent Orange exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board needs to verify the location of the USS Sterlet to determine if it was within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea during the relevant time period.
- Claimed conditions
- multiple myeloma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20006288
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,886 · Granted: 24% (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 20006288.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 100 percent for service-connected multiple myeloma has been denied. The Board also remanded two issues related to nerve neuropathies, and the claims for TDIU and SMC have been denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for multiple myeloma and back problems due to a duty to assist error. For multiple myeloma, the Veteran's exposure to asbestos is not verified. For back problems, an addendum opinion is needed to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding her training-related injuries.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for multiple myeloma, finding that the evidence is in equipoise and resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the appellant.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for multiple myeloma, diabetes mellitus II, and coronary artery disease (CAD) based on the Veteran's in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
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