The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death was proximately caused by his service-connected MALT lymphoma and related radiation therapy.
The deciding factor: The March 2020 VA examiner did not provide an opinion addressing the main theory raised in the March 25, 2019 letter from the treating physician regarding the carcinogenic effects of radiation therapy on AML.
- Claimed conditions
- AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20060748
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 20060748.
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
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain a TERA analysis and potentially an opinion regarding the Veteran's AML or MDS as it may be related to toxic exposure during service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for DIC benefits, finding that the appellant's claim was not reconsidered due to new service personnel records confirming her husband's exposure to oil wells. The effective date remains December 21, 2005.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and denied DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 due to lack of evidence showing a direct or presumptive link between his death from AML and his military service, including exposure to herbicides.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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