Veterans' Claims Appellate Court Reverses Denial of Benefits in CML Case

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims has reversed the denial of benefits in a CML case, finding that the Veterans Affairs Board erred when it did not provide adequate reasons for rejecting evidence linking the plaintiff's chronic myelogenous leukemia to benzene exposure. Leeper v. Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, No. 09-3415 (U.S. Ct. App., Veterans Claims).

In the March 23 opinion, the appellate court also reinstated claims relating to the plaintiff's development of hepatitis C, which also allegedly arose during his time in the U.S. Air Force.

According to the appellate court, …