The Board has granted service connection for essential thrombocytosis, finding that the condition is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service exposure to tactical herbicide agents (presumed due to his deployment to Vietnam).
The deciding factor: The private and VA treatment records document the Veteran's condition since 2011, and a competent medical opinion established a direct relationship between the condition and service.
- Claimed conditions
- essential thrombocytosis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20069847
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,350 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20069847.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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: Granted
The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's essential thrombocytosis is related to service, specifically herbicide exposure. As such, the claim for service connection is granted.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for essential thrombocytosis to obtain an addendum opinion addressing all toxic exposure risks, including herbicides.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for essential thrombocytosis as there was no evidence of continuous or intermittent myelosuppressive therapy, chemotherapy, or interferon treatment.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal of the denial of service connection for myeloproliferative disease with essential thrombocytosis.
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