The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, chronic headache disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and bilateral eye disability due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to his military service or exposure to contaminated water.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided opinions indicating no causal relationship between the Veteran's claimed conditions and his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, citing risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and age as more likely causes of these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, chronic headache disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), bilateral eye disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 3, 2023
- Citation
- 23054810
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 23054810.
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
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The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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