The Board remands the case to schedule a VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's cause of death is etiologically related to chemical exposure during service.
The deciding factor: A remand is warranted due to a duty to assist error that occurred prior to the February 2021 AOJ decision, as the RO did not obtain a medical opinion to help assess the etiology of the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Deconditioning and cachexia due to Tauopathy consistent with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) with contributing conditions of Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and hypertension
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 2, 2025
- Citation
- A25048473
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal and skin disabilities.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for dermatochalasis, meibomian gland dysfunction, and blepharitis. The claims for lumbosacral strain, left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), right shoulder tendinopathy, diabetes, and prostate cancer with urinary incontinence status-post prostatectomy were remanded.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
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