The Board has granted an earlier effective date of May [REDACTED], 2012, for the grant of service connection for cause of death due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was causally related to contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune. The Board resolved reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran and granted direct service connection for cause of death from the date of the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- cause of death: pneumonia with respiratory failure, metastatic neuroendocrine carcinoma, esophageal carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19183139
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Barrett's esophagitis, GERD, and esophageal carcinoma based on the Veteran's exposure to herbicides during active service in Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to incomplete information regarding his SSA income. The Board will verify the amount of his SSA benefits and request that he submit EVR and Medical Expense Reports for the specified period.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for cause of death, esophageal carcinoma, malignant pleural effusion, and cardiopulmonary failure. The medical evidence did not support a link between these conditions and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's in-service exposure to herbicide agents caused or contributed to his death. The case will be reviewed after obtaining an appropriate medical opinion.
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