Citation Nr: 25004908 Decision Date: 04/10/25 Archive Date: 04/10/25 DOCKET NO. 19-06 172 DATE: April 10, 2025 ORDER Entitlement to service connection for a lipoma, to include as due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, is denied. FINDING OF FACT The Veteran's lipoma was not first manifested on active duty or for many years after and is not otherwise shown to be related to military service. CONCLUSION OF LAW The criteria for service connection for lipoma are not met. 38 U.S.C. §§ 1110, 1112, 1113, 1131, 1137, 5107(b); 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.102, 3.303, 3.307, 3.309. REASONS AND BASES FOR FINDING AND CONCLUSION The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Marine Corps from December 1955 to January 1960. The Veteran died in September 2022. The Appellant is the surviving spouse of the Veteran. She was properly substituted to pursue the Veteran's claims to completion. This case is before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from an August 2016 rating decision of the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Veteran testified at a December 2021 videoconference hearing held before the undersigned. A transcript of the hearing is associated with the claims file. In February 2022, the Board remanded the issue of service connection for a lipoma for proper adjudication by the AOJ, as a distinct and separate disability from lymphoma. In June 2024, the Board again remanded service connection for a lipoma for compliance with the February 2022 remand instructions. In February 2025, a VA examination was obtained and a Statement of the Case (SOC) followed, showing substantial compliance with the Board's prior remand orders. Stegall v. West, 11 Vet. App. 268, 271 (1998). With respect to the claims decided herein, VA has met all statutory and regulatory notice and duty-to-assist provisions. See 38 U.S.C. §§ 5100, 5102, 5103, 5103A, 5106, 5107, 5126; 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.102, 3.156(a), 3.159, 3.326. Neither the Veteran nor his representative has advanced any procedural arguments in relation to VA's duty to notify and assist. Scott v. McDonald, 789 F.3d 1375 (Fed. Cir. 2015). The Veteran is seeking service connection for lipoma, to include as due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune (CWCL); the Veteran's exposure has been previously established. Service connection is awarded for disability that is the result of a disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by active service. 38 U.S.C. §§ 1110, 1131. Service connection requires competent evidence showing: (1) the existence of a present disability; (2) in-service incurrence or aggravation of a disease or injury; and (3) a causal relationship between the present disability and the disease or injury incurred or aggravated during service. Shedden v. Principi, 381 F. 3d 1163 (Fed. Cir. 2004). Under 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.307 and 3.309, Veterans who served at Camp Lejeune for no less than 30 days (either consecutive or nonconsecutive), between August 1953 and December 1987, and who have been diagnosed with any of eight associated diseases (adult leukemia, aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Parkinson's disease) are presumed to have incurred or aggravated the disease in service for purposes of entitlement to VA benefits. These diseases do not include lipoma; thus, the presumption is not applicable. Notwithstanding, the Veteran may still prevail in his claim if the medical evidence establishes a causal link, or nexus, between his exposure to contaminated water and his diagnosed cancers or, in the alternative, between the claimed cancers and active service. Combee v. Brown, 34 F.3d 1039, 1043-1044 (Fed.Cir.1994). The Veteran's service treatment records (STRs) do not show symptoms or treatment related to lipoma. The first record of lipoma is in September 2011 VA medical records showing the Veteran had a lipoma excised from his left shoulder. In a February 2025 VA medical opinion, the examiner opined that lipoma was less likely than not due to Veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The examiner cited medical research showing lipomas are benign tumors consisting of fatty tissue and, while their etiology is unclear, theories link the condition to genetics, trauma to the area, obesity, alcohol abuse, liver disease, and glucose intolerance. The Veteran asserted his belief in a connection, but offered no evidence in support of this belief. While the Veteran alleged generally that his lipoma was related to his service, and a lay person is competent to testify about their symptoms, or to report what a doctor has told him, only a medical professional is competent to provide a diagnosis and etiology. As a lay person, the Veteran is not competent to render an opinion as to the etiology of the claimed conditions as he is a layperson lacking the necessary training and knowledge to do so. Kahana v. Shinseki, 24 Vet. App. 428, 435 (2011). There is no objective medical evidence linking the claimed condition of lipoma to the Veteran's active-duty service. No medical professional has attributed the conditions causing lipoma to his service. In reaching this conclusion, the Board has considered the doctrine of reasonable doubt; however, as the weight of the evidence is against the Veteran's claim, the doctrine is not applicable. See 38 C.F.R. § 5107(b); 38 C.F.R. § 3.102; Gilbert v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 49 (1990). Accordingly, the appeal in the matter must be denied. There is no basis in the record to award service connection for lipoma. WILLIAM H. DONNELLY Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board L.M. Barletta The Board's decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.