The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, lung cancer, and erectile dysfunction due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune as the appellant died during the appeal process.
The deciding factor: The appellant died during the pendency of the appeal, thus the Board had no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of the claims.
- Claimed conditions
- prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, lung cancer, erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20073792
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- 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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer, related to in-service exposures at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction due to an inadequate VA opinion regarding its etiology.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.