The Veteran's GERD is remanded for a VA examination to determine its etiology.,The Veteran’s hypertension, linked to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, is remanded for a VA examination to determine its etiology.,The Veteran's left wrist disability, lumbar spine disability, and cervical spine disability are remanded for a VA examination to determine their etiology.,The Veteran's prostate cancer, potentially linked to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, is remanded for a VA examination to determine its etiology. If service-connected, the bladder incontinence is also remanded for a VA examination to determine its etiology.,Prostate cancer may be secondary to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and/or as a result of early onset factors.
The deciding factor: There is insufficient evidence to properly adjudicate the service connection claims without additional medical examination and consideration of all available records, including those from non-VA providers.,The Veteran's hypertension may be secondary to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. However, there are other potential causes for his condition that need to be considered.,There is insufficient evidence to properly adjudicate the service connection claims without additional medical examination and consideration of all available records, including those from non-VA providers.,The Veteran's prostate cancer may be secondary to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. If found service-connected, his bladder incontinence is also remanded for a VA examination to determine its etiology.,There are conflicting studies regarding the risk of developing prostate cancer due to occupational exposure to contaminated water. The examiner should consider all available evidence and provide a thorough rationale.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Hypertension, Left wrist disability, Lumbar spine disability, Cervical spine disability, Prostate cancer, Bladder incontinence
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20001215
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.
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- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
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