The Board remands the claim for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's congestive heart failure, aortic stenosis, and chronic renal failure and his conceded exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: A pre-decisional duty to assist error was found due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive heart failure, Aortic stenosis, Chronic renal failure
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 25, 2025
- Citation
- A25038258
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a cardiovascular disability, secondary to hypertension, but denied a compensable rating and an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for congestive heart failure was dismissed as the benefit sought on appeal has been granted.
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