The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to an inadequate August 2018 VA medical opinion. The Veteran's disorders are related on a direct basis to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
The deciding factor: The Board found the August 2018 VA examination inadequate and remanded for a new opinion addressing direct service connection without relying solely on the fact that the disorders were not included as presumptively-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic headaches, left-lung disorder, lipomas, muscle deterioration disorder, bone degeneration disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20048111
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20048111.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's effective date for service connection of left leg amputation and associated scars, as well as SMC based on loss of use of the left leg, is set to January 28, 2022. The effective date for DEA eligibility is also set to January 28, 2022. An effective date prior to January 28, 2022, was denied for service connection of chronic headaches.
- Whole decision: Granted
Service connection for chronic headaches and restoration of a 20 percent disability rating for the service-connected left wrist strain are granted.,The appeal to restore a higher disability rating for the broken right foot is dismissed.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a left wrist fracture, bilateral hearing loss, Type II diabetes, bilateral glaucoma, OSA, cervical disc herniation, and other musculoskeletal issues are denied.,Service connection is not established for any of the claimed conditions.
- Whole decision: Granted
Major depressive disorder is granted as service connected.,Chronic headaches are readjudicated and granted due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.
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