The Veteran's death was not service connected due to lack of evidence linking his conditions to his military service. However, the PACT Act now allows for consideration of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune as a basis for service connection.
The deciding factor: The cause of death listed on the Veteran's death certificate is not service-connected under current regulations and there is no direct evidence linking these conditions to his military service. However, with the implementation of the PACT Act, exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune can now be considered for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute respiratory failure, Sepsis, Perforated colonic diverticulum, Acute pulmonary embolism
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2024
- Citation
- 24008334
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 24008334.
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 remands the claims for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death and entitlement to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation under 38 USC § 1151 due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death, to include sepsis, MSSA bacteremia, and immunosuppression, due to in-service exposure to Agent Orange.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation under 38 USC 1318 due to a need for a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's causes of death, considering toxic exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied the appellant's claim for entitlement to nonservice-connected (NSC) survivor's pension benefits due to a lack of active service during a period of war. The case was remanded to further investigate potential toxic exposure and obtain additional medical evidence regarding the Veteran's cause of death.
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