The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for Barrett's esophagus, hiatal hernia, and entitlement to a compensable rating prior to November 24, 2014, and a rating higher than 30 percent thereafter, for COPD and benign asbestos pleural disease. The claim for service connection for coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's current coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus are at least as likely as not related to his in-service exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, resolving all doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- Barrett's esophagus, hiatal hernia, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 15, 2023
- Citation
- 23045344
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 23045344.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
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