The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for pancytopenia and myelodysplastic syndrome, finding that there was no reasonable possibility that these conditions were caused by exposure to ionizing radiation during service.
The deciding factor: The Under Secretary determined that the Veteran’s specific dosage of radiation did not meet the threshold for causing pancytopenia or myelodysplastic syndrome due to his low dose and concluded that there was no reasonable possibility that these conditions were caused by exposure to ionizing radiation during service.
- Claimed conditions
- pancytopenia, myelodysplastic syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20070408
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for myelodysplastic syndrome, finding that the Veteran had presumptive exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's significant conditions at the time of his death were related to his service, including any toxic exposure risk activities (TERA), and if so, whether they had a material influence on the acceleration of his death.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection and initial rating were dismissed due to an improper concurrent election of review options.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an initial compensable disability rating for pancytopenia and radiation induced anemia due to a need for further examination.
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