The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination due to incomplete medical opinions regarding service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the vocal cords and gastroesophageal disorders, including GERD, hiatal hernia, and Barrett’s esophagus. The issues are related to exposure at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA medical opinions were insufficient due to incomplete discussion of the Veteran's specific case history and risk factors for squamous cell carcinoma and gastroesophageal disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the vocal cords, gastroesophageal disorder (GERD, hiatal hernia, Barrett’s esophagus)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19162429
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 19162429.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, hiatal hernia, COPD, and prostate cancer as a result of toxic exposure during the Veteran's military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent disability rating for GERD and hiatal hernia, effective March 31, 2020, but denied an earlier effective date and a higher initial rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatal hernia, stage 3 chronic kidney disease, varicose veins of the right lower extremity, and varicose veins of the left lower extremity as there was no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diverticulosis, GERD, and hiatal hernia as the evidence did not show a link to an in-service disease or injury.
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