The Board has granted earlier effective dates of June 17, 2013 for service connection for Parkinson’s disease with neurocognitive disorder and eight secondary disabilities (right upper extremity tremor, left upper extremity tremor, right lower extremity muscle rigidity and stiffness, left lower extremity muscle rigidity and stiffness, loss of sense of smell, speech changes, difficulty chewing and swallowing, and balance impairment) as secondary to the Veteran's Parkinson’s disease. The effective dates are based on a presumption of service connection due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The deciding factor: The Board found that there is sufficient evidence to support an earlier effective date for service connection based on the presumption provided by VA regulations for veterans exposed to chemical contaminants at Camp Lejeune, including Parkinson’s disease. The Veteran's in-service exposure was brief and to a water supply likely low in contamination levels, with two of the well-established risk factors (male sex and age over 60) present.

Claimed conditions

Parkinson’s disease with neurocognitive disorder, right upper extremity tremor with bradykinesia and slowed motion, left upper extremity tremor with bradykinesia and slowed motion, right lower extremity muscle rigidity and stiffness, left lower extremity muscle rigidity and stiffness, loss of sense of smell, speech changes, difficulty chewing and swallowing, balance impairment

How they argued it

Presumptive (no nexus needed)

Exposure basis

Camp Lejeune water

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

November 12, 2019

Citation

A19002694

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 A19002694.