The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's stomach cancer is related to his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The VA will request an independent medical expert to provide a definitive opinion.
The deciding factor: The absence of stomach cancer from the list of diseases for which service connection can be granted based on exposure to contaminated drinking water does not preclude establishing a direct causation between the Veteran's condition and his exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Claimed conditions
- stomach cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2024
- Citation
- 24000505
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 868 · Granted: 42% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24000505.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in developing evidence related to possible ionizing radiation exposure and TERA participation. The claim will be reconsidered with proper development of this information.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be stomach cancer, but the Board found no evidence linking it to his service or any service-connected conditions. The claim for service connection is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the appellant's claims for accrued benefits due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's cancers and his service-connected disabilities, specifically gastritis with hyperacidity and coronary artery disease. The VA is required to obtain medical opinions on the nature and etiology of the Veteran's right kidney cancer, stomach cancer, and bone cancer.
- Dismissed
Your appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The Board cannot issue a decision on your claims as they are no longer pending.
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