The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions are inadequate to address the Veteran's claim for service connection due to his exposure to Camp Lejeune contaminated water. The case is being remanded to obtain an addendum opinion from the September 2017 VA examiner regarding the relationship between vitamin B12 deficiency, which may be related to TCE exposure, and the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous opinions were insufficient due to a lack of consideration of the Veteran's assertion that his vitamin B12 deficiency is caused by trichloroethylene (TCE) exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19130259
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 claim for service connection for bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities to obtain further medical evidence regarding its etiology, including whether it is related to military service or secondary to other service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed exposure to chemical substances in service and for additional development of his VA treatment records.
- Granted
The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II and bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower and upper extremities are granted as service connected due to herbicide exposure in Thailand.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, chronic bronchitis, and skin ulcers due to incomplete records and potential exposure to toxic herbicides in service.
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