The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's pulmonary emboli are related to his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during service.
The deciding factor: A VA examination is needed to determine if there is a relationship between the Veteran's pulmonary emboli and his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary emboli
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2020
- Citation
- 20071620
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20071620.
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 Board has determined that the Veteran's pulmonary emboli was related to his service, including his inflammatory bowel disease and exposure to ionizing radiation during military service. The decision grants service connection for the cause of death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of service connection for hydrocephalus, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, colon cancer, and a reopened claim for pulmonary emboli to ensure proper procedures are followed.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the case to obtain a VA medical opinion on whether the Veteran's death was related to his service, considering toxic exposure risk activities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, as there is no evidence of herbicide agent exposure during his military service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is denied.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.