The Board remands the claims for service connection for a stroke disability and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) due to insufficient evidence regarding their relationship to the Veteran's active-duty military service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The August 2021 VA medical opinions did not address whether the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during his active-duty service or properly address the theory of secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- stroke disability, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2022
- Citation
- 22000019
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 denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome and denied higher ratings for sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and lumbosacral strain. However, the Board granted initial 20 percent ratings for left lower extremity radiculopathy, femoral nerve, and sciatic nerve.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for allergic rhinitis and lumbosacral or cervical strain was dismissed due to untimeliness, while the other issues were remanded for further evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, with the exception of remanding certain issues.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) as the earliest effective date assignable is August 10, 2022, based on the PACT Act.
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