The Board has remanded the claims for right ear cholesteatoma, tonsil and adenoid disability, and depression and memory loss due to Camp Lejeune contaminated water exposure. The Veteran needs additional medical opinions regarding whether these conditions are related to service or exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The Board found the existing medical opinions inadequate and instructed that new opinions be obtained to determine if there is a relationship between the Veteran's conditions and his in-service exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Claimed conditions
- right ear cholesteatoma, tonsil and adenoid disability, depression and memory loss
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20056894
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 20056894.
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 for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for right ear cholesteatoma and an initial compensable disability rating for right ear chronic otitis media has been dismissed.,The Veteran's peripheral vestibular disorder is granted with a 30 percent disability rating, but no higher.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for left and right ear cholesteatoma, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for back condition, depression and memory loss, and migraine disability but granted service connection for a left hip disability based on in-service onset.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right ear cholesteatoma, a surgical scar on the right ear, and Meniere's syndrome in the right ear. The claim for TDIU is also remanded due to its inextricability with other issues.
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