The Veteran's appeal includes claims for service connection for neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, all claimed as due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The Board has remanded these issues for a VA examination to determine if there is a link between the conditions and his military service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during active duty service is conceded, but service connection can be awarded on a direct basis as the conditions are not presumptively service-connected due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Claimed conditions
- neuropathy, left upper extremity, neuropathy, right upper extremity, neuropathy, left lower extremity, neuropathy, right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20049728
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 20049728.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left upper extremity neuropathy and right ankle arthritis due to inadequate medical nexus opinions in the September 2024 decision.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. The claims of service connection for neuropathy, left and right lower extremities are remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including herniation and bulging disk L4 through S1, knee pain with osteoarthritis, an acquired psychiatric disorder, cubital tunnel syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, and neuropathy. However, the Board granted a 30 percent evaluation for chronic headaches.
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