The Board granted service connection for a prostate condition and a respiratory condition, to include asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), based on the Veteran's exposure to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was sufficient evidence to conclude that the Veteran's respiratory condition worsened during service due to exposure to burn pit fumes, despite the inability to independently verify this exposure. The benefit of the doubt doctrine applied in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- prostate condition, respiratory condition, to include asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- April 11, 2025
- Citation
- 25004944
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 696 · Granted: 63% (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 25004944.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The Board finds the evidence insufficient to grant service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, erectile dysfunction, prostate condition, headaches, IBS, behavioral neurology conditions, and acquired psychological condition due to exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Denied
The Veteran's CAD, hypertension, prostate condition, and strokes were not shown to be related to service or any incident therein.,Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), secondary to the Veteran's strokes, was also denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for erectile dysfunction and prostate condition have been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.,The appeal regarding a rating in excess of 50 percent for an acquired psychiatric disorder has been denied. The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy ratings have been restored to 10%, while his right lower extremity radiculopathy ratings remain at 10%. Appeals for higher initial disability ratings for both lower extremity radiculopathies were also denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection and entitlement to Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) was granted, but the effective date is not earlier than August 9, 2023.
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