The Veteran claimed service connection for sinus disability/allergic rhinitis based on exposures during active duty from 1966 to 1968. The Board remanded the case for a medical opinion that specifically addresses whether the condition was caused by in-service exposures, including smoke from burning human waste, herbicides, and contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The prior medical opinions obtained did not specifically address the Veteran's exposure to smoke from burning human waste as the Board had requested, so remand is necessary for a clinician to provide an opinion that considers all toxic exposures and their combined effects.
- Claimed conditions
- sinus disability/allergic rhinitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2025
- Citation
- 25000206
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 915 · Granted: 38% (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 25000206.
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 reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right shoulder disability, sinus disability/allergic rhinitis, back disability, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), left knee disability, and sleep apnea. The claims are being remanded due to a duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- 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 Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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