The Veteran's Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) is determined to be related to his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during service, and the claim for service connection is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding a nexus between MSA and exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, favoring the Veteran's claim due to the lack of any family history of MSA and resolving doubt in favor of the claimant.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), Cerebellar Ataxia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2026
- Citation
- A26038242
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 A26038242.
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 Board remands the claims for service connection for parkinsonism or Parkinson's disease and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) to obtain additional medical opinions addressing their etiology, including whether they are related to in-service toxic exposures.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for Parkinsonism, including Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), associated with herbicide exposure is granted. The Board found that the Veteran had presumed in-service herbicide exposure and service connection is warranted on a presumptive basis.
- Granted
The Veteran's MSA and autonomic neuropathy are granted as secondary to his service-connected traumatic brain injury (TBI). He is also granted special monthly compensation for aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) and Autonomic Neuropathy due to lack of substantial compliance with prior remand instructions. The Veteran's claim for Aid and Attendance is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with these issues.
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