The Board has determined that the VA examinations are inadequate for purposes of adjudicating the Veteran's claims on appeal and remanded these issues to obtain additional medical opinions. The Veteran is seeking service connection for various conditions, including spinal nerve degeneration with pain and numbness, back condition and degenerative arthritis of the spine; dermatitis or eczema and onychomycosis of the toenails; and peripheral neuropathy, all claimed as due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations were inadequate for purposes of adjudicating the Veteran's claims on appeal because they did not consider the Veteran's lay reports regarding his symptoms and history, particularly where STRs are unavailable for a period of his active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"spinal nerve degeneration with pain and numbness, back condition and degenerative arthritis of the spine"}, {"condition_name":"dermatitis or eczema and onychomycosis of the toenails, claimed as skin defacing on hand and legs, skin condition, bilateral feet, skin condition, bilateral hands and soft tissue sarcomas"}, {"condition_name":"peripheral neuropathy"}
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20068015
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for anxiety but denied it for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's sleep apnea was less likely than not related to his active service or service-connected acquired psychiatric condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus.
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