The Board denied entitlement to service connection for liver disability, finding the preponderance of evidence against a service connection. The Board remanded entitlement to service connection for anemia and back disability, requiring additional medical examinations to determine if these conditions are related to service or contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The liver disability claim was denied because medical opinions found it less likely than not that the condition was caused by in-service exposure or Camp Lejeune contamination, the condition did not manifest during or within one year of service, and the Veteran's Hepatitis B appeared traceable to a 1992 needle stick injury post-service; anemia and back disability were remanded because VA examinations were necessary to fully develop the medical nexus evidence, particularly regarding the Veteran's May 1987 back pain complaint and Camp Lejeune presumptive disease eligibility.
- Claimed conditions
- liver disability, cirrhosis of the liver, Hepatitis B, anemia, back disability, low back pain, degenerative disc disease, compression fracture L4
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20003253
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a vitamin D deficiency and remanded claims for coronary artery disease, status post femoral bypass, chronic kidney disease, and anemia due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for right ankle, left ankle, back disability, and other conditions as there is no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Veteran was awarded service connection for allergic rhinitis based on the PACT Act, but an earlier effective date prior to August 10, 2022, is not warranted.
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