The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death was related to his military service, specifically herbicide exposure and/or his service-connected heart disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner/clinician is needed to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran’s cause of death was incurred in or caused by his military service, including conceded herbicide exposure, and if so, whether it was aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- myeloid metaplasia, myelofibrosis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20011925
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 20011925.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal as the proposed severance of service connection for prostate cancer and myelofibrosis was not a final decision, and thus premature.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's myelofibrosis, which was related to in-service herbicide exposure (Agent Orange), caused his death. Therefore, service connection for cause of death is granted.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for myelofibrosis and anemia, finding that there was no evidence of a causal relationship between these conditions and his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied an effective date earlier than April 26, 2021 for the award of service connection for graft versus host disease associated with myelofibrosis.
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