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 his service at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The October 2014 examiner did not provide a clear opinion on the relationship between the Veteran's hepatic steatosis and his exposure to contaminated water during service at Camp Lejeune, despite finding that there was no 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
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 Board denied service connection for cervical strain and a compensable rating for scars post-removal of squamous cell carcinomas, while remanding several other claims including diabetes mellitus, type II, diabetic neuropathies, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, left knee disability, traumatic brain injury with post-concussion syndrome migraines, and left hip disability.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatic steatosis, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and no sufficient nexus to exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of December 8, 2017, for the grant of service connection for rhinitis but denied initial compensable ratings and higher ratings for other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied payment or reimbursement for non-VA medical care for cancer and hepatic steatosis as a Camp Lejeune family member due to the clinical finding that these conditions did not result from exposure at Camp Lejeune.
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