The Veteran's claim for service connection for Crohn's disease, including as due to in-service exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, is remanded. The appeal will be reconsidered after the Veteran undergoes an examination to determine if his Crohn's disease is related to active service.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that a definitive opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's Crohn's disease is needed due to the lack of current medical evidence and because the claim involves exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, which may be presumptively service-connected.
- Claimed conditions
- Crohn's disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19130796
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,017 · Granted: 36% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19130796.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for iron deficiency anemia (IDA) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected Crohn's disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and ileocecal valve scarring.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the claims for service connection must be remanded due to inadequate examinations and opinions. The Veteran's skin disorder, respiratory disorder, Crohn's disease, eye disorder, and migraines are all being reviewed again with new medical evaluations.
- Granted
The Veteran's Crohn's disease is rated at 60 percent, effective from the date of the rating decision on appeal.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unemployable from performing all forms of substantially gainful employment that are consistent with his education and occupational experience, granting entitlement to TDIU.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.