The Board remands the service connection claim for hepatic steatosis due to a need for an addendum opinion that addresses the Veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and burn pit toxins.
The deciding factor: The November 2022 VA examiner failed to address the Veteran's exposure to BPOT, while the May 2023 VA examiner did not provide a sufficient explanation for their conclusion regarding the combined effect of all toxic exposures.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatic steatosis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 12, 2024
- Citation
- A24073485
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for cervical strain and a compensable rating for scars post-removal of squamous cell carcinomas, while remanding several other claims including diabetes mellitus, type II, diabetic neuropathies, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, left knee disability, traumatic brain injury with post-concussion syndrome migraines, and left hip disability.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatic steatosis, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and no sufficient nexus to exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of December 8, 2017, for the grant of service connection for rhinitis but denied initial compensable ratings and higher ratings for other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied payment or reimbursement for non-VA medical care for cancer and hepatic steatosis as a Camp Lejeune family member due to the clinical finding that these conditions did not result from exposure at Camp Lejeune.
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