The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for gallstones and liver cysts, both of which were found to be not related to his military service at Camp Lejeune. The Board noted that there was insufficient medical evidence to establish a presumption of service connection for these conditions.
The deciding factor: There is no probative evidence linking the Veteran's gallstones or liver cysts to his military service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Claimed conditions
- gallstones, liver cysts
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2020
- Citation
- 20000381
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (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 20000381.
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 residuals of gallbladder removal and gallstones, finding no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active service or presumed exposure to herbicide agents.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on multiple conditions have been remanded due to the submission of new evidence after a prior denial. The Board finds that VA examinations and medical opinions are necessary to properly determine entitlement to service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's tinnitus is currently rated at the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent and a higher rating is denied.,The Veteran's PTSD is remanded for further development to determine if it warrants an increased rating.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of restless leg syndrome, migraines, erectile dysfunction, gallstones, and allergic rhinitis as secondary to service-connected PTSD due to concurrent elections.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.