The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new opinion is needed regarding whether the Veteran's hepatic steatosis is related to contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune during service.
The deciding factor: The October 2014 examiner did not provide a clear opinion on the relationship between the Veteran’s hepatic steatosis and his military exposure to contaminated water, despite finding it unclear whether there is a statistical association with organic solvents.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatic steatosis
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19185851
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,217 · Granted: 46% (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 19185851.
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and hepatic steatosis have been denied. The claim for rheumatoid arthritis is being remanded.,Service connection has not been established for the claimed conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's hypertension, erectile dysfunction, sleep apnea, and migraines were all denied increased ratings.,Service connection for hepatic steatosis was granted.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatic steatosis, including as due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, finding that there was no evidence linking his condition to his military service or presumed exposure.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating of 10 percent for his left index finger scar is granted. The appeal to grant service connection for hepatic steatosis is dismissed as the Veteran did not file a written statement of disagreement within the required timeframe.
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