The Board remands the service connection claim for polycythemia vera due to duty-to-assist errors, including missing VA treatment records and an inadequate medical opinion.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary to obtain relevant VA treatment records from Vista Imaging and a fully articulated medical opinion that considers the Veteran's full medical history and exposures to herbicides and ionizing radiation.
- Claimed conditions
- polycythemia vera
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2025
- Citation
- A25042828
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 service connection for polycythemia vera, finding a nexus to in-service herbicide agent exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for additional development, including verifying the Veteran's claimed exposure to ionizing radiation and providing a new medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 60 percent evaluation for polycythemia vera, as the Veteran was prescribed molecularly targeted therapy to control red blood cell count.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for polycythemia vera to obtain additional records from the Veteran's community care provider.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.