The Veteran's gastrointestinal disorders, including pancreatitis, esophagitis, sigmoid diverticulosis, and possible irritable bowel syndrome, are being remanded for additional development to determine if they are related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during active service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address the previously diagnosed esophagitis and sigmoid diverticulosis in the May 2011 addendum. The AMC must obtain a copy of the National Academy of Sciences' report referenced by the VA examiner to provide a complete rationale for any opinion offered.
- Claimed conditions
- pancreatitis, esophagitis, sigmoid diverticulosis, irritable bowel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 25, 2013
- Citation
- 1313809
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 1313809.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for adhesions as secondary to irritable bowel syndrome, finding that there was no nexus between the claimed condition and service or a service-connected disability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asthma, COPD, pancreatitis, stroke, and left arm weakness (claimed as secondary to stroke) based on the presumption of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or due to in-service exposure.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for effective dates earlier than July 18, 2024, for the awards of service connection for tinnitus, tension headaches, and irritable bowel syndrome have been dismissed.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for depression, Gram Positive Cocci Condition, chronic bronchitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and diseases of Keratinization due to untimely filing of the Decision Review Request.
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