The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by his underlying conditions of multiple myeloma and amyloidosis, which are at least in equipoise with exposure to benzene during service. The claim for service connection for cause of death is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's exposure to benzene during active duty service contributed substantially or materially to his development of multiple myeloma, one of the underlying causes of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple myeloma, Amyloidosis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2023
- Citation
- A23031890
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 A23031890.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection for acute promyelocytic leukemia on a presumptive basis is granted. However, the claim for service connection on a direct causation basis is remanded due to a failure to provide a TERA examination.
- Denied
The Veteran's retroactive compensation payments were validly created due to concurrent receipt of military pay and VA benefits, resulting in a debt that was properly recouped.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's multiple myeloma, which was presumed to be caused by herbicide agent exposure during service, was a contributing factor to his death. Therefore, the claim of service connection for cause of death is granted.
- Granted
Service connection for multiple myeloma is granted. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for COPD, PTSD, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss, as well as service connection for back, right shoulder, and left shoulder disabilities are being remanded.
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