The Board denied service connection for scleroderma and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease due to insufficient evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service, specifically his exposure at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The medical expert opinion concluded that there was less than a 50% probability that the Veteran’s scleroderma or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were caused by his presumed exposure to toxins during his service at Camp Lejeune.
- Claimed conditions
- scleroderma, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20003536
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of a 70 percent rating for PTSD and granted an effective date of May 31, 2004, but no earlier, for the award of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for scleroderma to schedule a VA examination and address the Veteran's reported symptoms during active duty and periods of ACDUTRA.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic kidney disease, skin condition, erectile dysfunction, hiatal hernia, hypertension, and scleroderma as the evidence did not indicate these conditions were due to the Veteran's time in service or any of his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for scleroderma and Reynaud's disease, finding that both conditions are etiologically linked to the Veteran's active-duty service.
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