The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his neurobehavioral disorder, including facial numbness, incoordination, balance issues, speech issues, and headaches, as well as any potential link to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by the subject matter expert and the VA examiner determined that the Veteran's current neurobehavioral disorder was less likely caused by or related to his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, as well as any other in-service events. The symptoms were attributed to post-service factors such as neck cancer surgery and treatment.
- Claimed conditions
- neurobehavioral disorder, facial numbness, incoordination, balance issues, speech issues, headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 31, 2022
- Citation
- 22031755
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 22031755.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and will provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches was reopened due to new and material evidence, and the Board found that his current headaches are related to service. Service connection is granted.
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