The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) due to a lack of an adequate medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's exposure to herbicides during his active duty in Vietnam and his current AML diagnosis.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an adequate opinion as to whether it was at least as likely as not that the Veteran's AML is related to his conceded herbicide exposure while in the Republic of Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 8, 2023
- Citation
- A23035459
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 A23035459.
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 Veteran's service connection claim for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is granted due to exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was caused by Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), which was service-connected. However, the effective date for DIC benefits is denied as it was received over a year after the Veteran's death.
- Granted
The Veteran's AML is granted service connection effective January 10, 2025. His prior claims for service connection are denied and his dermatitis claim remains at a non-compensable rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance was denied because he is not in need of such assistance due to his service-connected disabilities. The Board found that while the Veteran requires some help with daily activities, he does not meet the criteria for needing regular aid and attendance.
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