The Board has remanded the case due to new statutory changes regarding herbicide agent exposure, and a VA medical opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran's cause of death was related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on recent statutory changes that affect claims for service connection based on herbicide agent exposure. The case has been remanded due to the need for a VA medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's cause of death and his in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute myelogenous leukemia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20007098
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,960 · Granted: 36% (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 20007098.
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 claim for service connection for acute myelogenous leukemia due to an inadequate medical opinion and a need to address direct service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's acute myelogenous leukemia is granted as service connected due to in-service herbicide exposure, with the Board finding that his condition was likely caused by this exposure.
- Denied
The VA withheld compensation benefits to recoup separation pay in the amount of $17,513.28 due to a statutory requirement and the decision is denied as it was proper.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed acute myelogenous leukemia is at least as likely as not related to his active service, including exposure to chemicals released from burn pits during his deployment in Afghanistan.
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