The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic myelogenous leukemia with iron deficiency anemia is being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error. The VA must obtain a medical opinion regarding the causal relationship between the Veteran's diagnosed CML and his military service, including exposure to tactical herbicide agents.
The deciding factor: The January 2022 VA examination report does not include a medical nexus opinion addressing the causal relationship between the Veteran's diagnosed CML and his military service, specifically his exposure to tactical herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Iron Deficiency Anemia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2023
- Citation
- A23031152
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 A23031152.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted a 100 percent rating for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia from June 4, 2014 to September 27, 2018 and a 30 percent rating thereafter. The Veteran's CML was in remission during the latter period.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) is granted. The issue of service connection for Behcet's Syndrome, due to presumed exposure at Camp Lejeune, is remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an effective date of August 7, 2023 for service connection of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), which was denied in a previous rating decision. The claim was received within one year of the PACT Act's effective date and meets eligibility criteria.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, respiratory failure and overwhelming sepsis with contributory hypotension, was attributed to his underlying Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), which developed as a result of the bone marrow transplant he underwent due to CML. The Board found that service connection for CML could not be established because there was no evidence showing it was incurred during or aggravated by service.
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