The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to unclear evidence and need for additional medical opinions regarding exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, herbicide agents, or other chemicals/toxins. The esophageal cancer claim is also being remanded as there are conflicting opinions on its etiology.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient evidence to determine the relationship between the Veteran's gastrointestinal disorder and service, and the relationship of his esophageal cancer to service exposure without additional medical opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastrointestinal disorder, Esophageal cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19126879
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 increased ratings and service connection due to a pre-decisional error in failing to provide the Veteran with a VA mental disorders examination and not obtaining complete VA treatment records.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence linking his esophageal cancer to his military service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, type II (DMII), right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and erectile dysfunction. Service connection was granted for a lumbar spine disorder, headaches, and dizziness. The TDIU claim was dismissed as moot.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, a gastrointestinal disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, and a thoracic spine disorder. The effective date for increased evaluations and new grants of service connection were also denied.
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