The Veteran's claim for service connection for elevated cholesterol, due to in-service exposure to lewisite, mustard gas, and/or contaminated water while stationed at Camp Lejeune, is denied. The Board also remanded several other issues related to the Veteran's claimed disabilities.
The deciding factor: Elevated cholesterol was not considered a disability for VA compensation purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- Elevated Cholesterol, Chronic Joint Pain, Low Back Disability (Muscle Spasms), Eye Disability (Glaucoma), Respiratory Disability (Subpleural Nodules), Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Hypertension, Reproductive Disability (Left Testicle Atrophy), Bilateral Foot Disability, Skin Disability (Skin Tags and Lesions), Neurocognitive Disability (Forgetfulness and Lack of Concentration), Dental Disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19123618
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 remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorders, lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, bilateral radiculopathy of the upper extremities, and bilateral radiculopathy and neuropathy of the lower extremities.
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