The Veteran's cause of death was listed as lung cancer, with scleroderma and tobacco use also contributing to his death. The Board found that the Veteran's lung cancer and scleroderma were not related to his service at Camp Lejeune due to lack of evidence and conflicting medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The VA physicians' opinions against the claim based on the limited/suggestive evidence of association between contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and the Veteran’s fatal lung cancer and scleroderma, as well as the Veteran's long-standing tobacco use which was a known risk factor for lung cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- lung cancer, scleroderma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19128828
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 19128828.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Partly granted
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, including lung cancer and cardio-pulmonary arrest, to address in-service toxic exposures.
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