The Board granted service connection for polycythemia vera, finding that the Veteran's condition is related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
The deciding factor: The Board resolved all doubt in favor of the Veteran and found that his polycythemia vera was caused by exposure to herbicides during service based on a medical article detailing an increased risk for polycythemia vera in Vietnam era Veterans, likely attributed to herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- polycythemia vera
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- May 29, 2025
- Citation
- A25047934
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 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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