The Veteran's death was caused by cardio respiratory arrest, with breast cancer as the underlying cause. The appellant contends that her breast cancer is related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during service. However, a VA medical opinion obtained in November 2015 found no presumptive association due to lack of information regarding risk factors for breast cancer. The Board finds this opinion inadequate and remands the case for further development including obtaining additional medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The November 2015 VA examiner's opinion was inadequate as it did not consider all available evidence, particularly a December 2015 VA treatment record indicating no history of breast cancer in the appellant's family.
- Claimed conditions
- Breast cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 22, 2022
- Citation
- 22030160
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 22030160.
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 a neck disability and remanded claims for asthma, pulmonary embolism, thyroid cancer, acute pancreatitis, breast cancer, hypertension, left knee condition, right knee condition, and an acquired psychiatric disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, asthma, and breast cancer to obtain outstanding service treatment records.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(k) based on the anatomical loss of 25 percent or more of tissue from a single breast is dismissed because the Veteran is already in receipt of SMC under this provision.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for breast cancer, lung cancer, and tubular adenoma (claimed as residuals of colon cancer) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to exposure at Camp Lejeune. The Board found that the Veteran's cancers were more likely related to his smoking history than to contaminated water exposure.
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