The Veteran's transitional cell bladder cancer was detected many years after his service and is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident in service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's bladder cancer is most likely due to his extreme smoking history, which far outweighs any risk from potential hazards in the Camp Lejeune water during the brief period of service.
- Claimed conditions
- transitional cell bladder cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 8, 2016
- Citation
- 1604759
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 1604759.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, bladder cancer, and a TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits file.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to technical difficulties with a previous hearing and requests for a new videoconference hearing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the cause of death and whether service-connected conditions contributed to it. The Veteran died from bladder cancer, but there is uncertainty about the type of cancer and whether his pre-existing conditions played a role.
- Denied
The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for transitional cell bladder cancer, which was previously denied in March 2004. The appellant's claim is based on exposure to Agent Orange during his military service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.