The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for esophageal and bilateral eye conditions, finding that the VA examiner’s opinions were inadequate. The Veteran contends his current conditions are related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners did not adequately address or consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding the onset and chronicity of his symptoms, nor did they provide a rationale for their conclusions.
- Claimed conditions
- esophageal condition, bilateral eye condition
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2021
- Citation
- 21015339
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 21015339.
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 appeals for service connection on the issues of esophageal condition, right foot condition, headaches, seizure disorder, traumatic brain injury, and hypertension have been dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran during a Board hearing. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral eye condition should be remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors and the need for an updated TERA Memorandum. The Veteran was not provided with a VA examination, and her allegations of exposure during basic training were not addressed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and service connection are being remanded due to scheduling conflicts preventing VA examinations, and the claim for a higher rating based on multiple noncompensable disabilities is inextricably intertwined with other pending claims.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all claims of service connection for various conditions due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.
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