The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development and lack of a proper medical opinion regarding the cause of death (AML). The appellant asserts that the Veteran's AML was related to his military service, specifically herbicide exposure. The VA examiner's opinion is deemed inadequate as it lacks supporting rationale.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion is deemed insufficient due to lack of a thorough well-reasoned rationale discussing all provided evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- AML
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 30, 2023
- Citation
- 23047865
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 23047865.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for cause of death due to AML, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal link between the Veteran's exposure to herbicides and his development of AML.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his MDS/AML is etiologically related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Vietnam. The appeal is granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by or related to service, including herbicide exposure. Service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to his death.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and the criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 were not met.
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