The Veteran's appeal of service connection for syphilis is dismissed.,Service connection for a bilateral knee condition and a bilateral hand/wrist condition are denied.,Service connection for hypertension, migraines, microcytic anemia (due to Camp Lejeune water exposure), and myelodysplastic syndrome (due to Camp Lejeune water exposure) is not established.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding service connection for syphilis during the January 2020 Board hearing.,There is no evidence of a current bilateral knee condition related to service. The preponderance of the evidence shows that any current bilateral knee pain is not linked to service, with normal lower extremities at separation and no complaints or treatment until over 14 years after service.,The Veteran's bilateral hand/wrist condition does not have a link to service. There are no records indicating any hand or wrist conditions during service, and the earliest record of current symptoms is in 2017.
- Claimed conditions
- syphilis, bilateral knee condition, bilateral hand/wrist condition, hypertension, migraines, microcytic anemia (due to Camp Lejeune water exposure), myelodysplastic syndrome (due to Camp Lejeune water exposure)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 2, 2020
- Citation
- 20037419
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 20037419.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines was reopened due to new evidence. Service connection is granted for painful scars, but the rating assigned remains at 10 percent. The claims for fibromyalgia and bilateral shoulder disability are denied.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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