The Veteran's claims for service connection for a gastrointestinal disability and skin condition (claimed as chloracne) are denied. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of in-service incurrence or a nexus to service, including presumed exposure to herbicides and contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA examiners were considered more probative than the Veteran's lay assertions regarding his gastrointestinal disabilities. The skin conditions are not subject to presumptive service connection based on herbicide or contaminated water exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- gastrointestinal disability (claimed as colon cancer), skin condition (claimed as chloracne bilateral legs) to include eczema, purpura, and atopic dermatitis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2022
- Citation
- 22064298
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 22064298.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's left eye condition is related to service, as it found that the condition did not preexist service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer, related to in-service exposures at Camp Lejeune.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an effective date of August 10, 2022, for the grant of service connection for sinusitis based on the PACT Act.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of service connection for prostate cancer to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's toxic exposure risk activities.
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