The Board denied the claim for service connection of scleroderma, finding that there is no medical evidence linking the condition to the veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during his ACDUTRA period in 1962. The examiner concluded that the veteran did not serve long enough at Camp Lejeune to be considered exposed for a sufficient duration.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no medical evidence linking the veteran's scleroderma to his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during his ACDUTRA period in 1962, as the service connection finding is unwarranted because the preponderance of the evidence indicates onset of scleroderma years after ACDUTRA and no medical nexus between such service and scleroderma.
- Claimed conditions
- scleroderma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19125401
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of a 70 percent rating for PTSD and granted an effective date of May 31, 2004, but no earlier, for the award of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for scleroderma to schedule a VA examination and address the Veteran's reported symptoms during active duty and periods of ACDUTRA.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic kidney disease, skin condition, erectile dysfunction, hiatal hernia, hypertension, and scleroderma as the evidence did not indicate these conditions were due to the Veteran's time in service or any of his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for scleroderma and Reynaud's disease, finding that both conditions are etiologically linked to the Veteran's active-duty service.
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