The Board granted service connection for hairy cell leukemia as due to herbicide exposure and the cause of death, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service near the perimeter of U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield during the Vietnam Era established his exposure to herbicides, leading to the granting of service connection for hairy cell leukemia and the cause of death based on this exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- hairy cell leukemia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 19, 2025
- Citation
- A25044768
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 948 · Granted: 52% (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 A25044768.
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 Board granted service connection for hairy cell leukemia and thrombocytopenia under the PACT Act, but remanded claims for further evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hairy cell leukemia as the evidence did not support a finding that it began during service, manifested to a compensable degree within one year after discharge from active duty, or was otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hairy cell leukemia, finding that the Veteran's condition is related to his military service and exposure to contaminated drinking water at Fort Sam Houston.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for service connection of hairy cell leukemia is remanded. The Board needs more information, including private medical records and a new VA medical opinion.
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