The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for gastroesophageal condition, to include Barrett's esophagus and GERD, as the evidence did not support a direct relationship between the Veteran's in-service exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and his current conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's personal risk factors, such as chronic GERD, smoking, drinking alcohol, obesity, age, and gender, significantly increased his risk of developing Barrett's esophagus, outweighing any potential health effects from exposure to chemicals in Camp Lejeune contaminated water.
- Claimed conditions
- Barrett's esophagus, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 3, 2025
- Citation
- 25004557
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matters for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and conducting VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, and a left eye disorder. However, it granted service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of both lower extremities as secondary to the back disability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, arthritis of the cervical spine, cervical radiculopathy of the left arm, back disability, left elbow condition, left shoulder condition, left wrist condition, left hand condition, hypertension, and an initial rating of 10 percent for coronary arteriosclerosis prior to September 24, 2024.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for service connection for a facial injury, head injury, and left thumb injury as there was no evidence of current disability or functional impairment. The claims for GERD, squamous mucosa, migraine headaches, and hypertension were remanded for further development.
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