The Veteran's cause of death was pneumonia as secondary to multiple myeloma. The effective date for the grant of service connection is March 14, 2017, when VA added multiple myeloma to the presumptive list for exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's cause of death was pneumonia as secondary to multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma was not directly related to his service but became a presumptive condition due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune on March 14, 2017.
- Claimed conditions
- multiple myeloma, pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19132015
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for pneumonia and remanded the claims for iodine allergy, pilonidal cyst, sulfa allergy, heart disability, acquired psychiatric disorder, and lower and upper extremity disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to an inadequate VA medical opinion and a need for additional evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple myeloma, finding no evidence that the Veteran's condition was related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion on whether the Veteran's acute hypoxemia, respiratory failure, and pneumonia were related to service or toxic exposure under the PACT Act.
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