The Board has granted service connection for AL amyloidosis due to exposure to herbicide agents, finding that the Veteran was exposed to these agents during his active duty at Naval Construction Training Center (NCTC) in Gulfport, Mississippi.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the presumption of exposure to herbicide agents given the Veteran's service and diagnosis with AL amyloidosis, despite a lack of direct evidence of exposure from service records.
- Claimed conditions
- AL amyloidosis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2024
- Citation
- 24001888
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,960 · Granted: 36% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24001888.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to AL amyloidosis, which was presumed to be related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents. The Veteran's death certificate noted that AL amyloidosis contributed substantially or materially to his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's AL amyloidosis may be service-connected on a presumptive basis due to his service in the Southwest Asia Theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War. However, a new medical opinion is needed to determine whether this condition constitutes an undiagnosed illness or a medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is related to the effective dates for SMC benefits. The Board has determined that these issues are remanded due to insufficient information regarding his employment status prior to August 10, 2022.,The Veteran was granted SMC based on aid and attendance as of May 4, 2018, and SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114, subsection (p) and 38 C.F.R. § 3.350(f)(3) at the rate intermediate between subsection (l) and subsection (m) based on bilateral nuclear contact with primary open-angle glaucoma as of May 4, 2018. The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date is denied.,The Veteran was granted SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114, subsection (p) and 38 C.F.R. § 3.350(f)(3) at the rate equal to subsection (m) with additional disability of obstructive sleep apnea as of August 10, 2022. The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a heart disorder, hypertension, and AL amyloidosis due to an incomplete duty to assist regarding potential herbicide exposure.
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