The Veteran seeks service connection for bladder cancer, which is secondary to exposure to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune. The VA has conceded duty at Camp Lejeune and presumed exposure to contaminated water. However, the Board finds that a remand is necessary as the September 2013 VA medical opinion is inadequate.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion did not provide a clear rationale for its conclusion regarding whether bladder cancer is less likely than not caused by exposure to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune.
- Claimed conditions
- Bladder cancer
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 16, 2015
- Citation
- 1544278
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 1544278.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bladder cancer, erectile dysfunction, and gouty arthropathy due to outstanding VA treatment records not being obtained. The Veteran's request for a referral to a urologist for ED is also remanded. A VA medical opinion is needed regarding the relationship between the Veteran's gouty arthropathy and his service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for bladder cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection for bladder and kidney cancer were dismissed as the Notice of Disagreement was not filed within one year of the denial.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for bladder cancer and diabetes mellitus, Type II are remanded due to errors in the VA opinion regarding exposure to herbicides and toxic substances during his military service.
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