The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for residuals of a left nephrectomy and determined that his kidney disorder was aggravated by service, but not incurred in service.
The deciding factor: Medical evidence shows that the veteran's underlying kidney problems were congenital and existed prior to service. The veteran's twin brother did not have the same condition, which does not negate its congenital nature.
- Claimed conditions
- left nephrectomy, congenital ureteropelvic obstruction
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 19, 2006
- Citation
- 0621078
Veterans Law Judge
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 0621078.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for muscle tissue damage and a rating in excess of 30 percent for residuals of left nephrectomy, finding no current diagnosis or relationship to service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted restoration of a separate evaluation of 10 percent for fatiguability as a residual of hypothyroidism beginning September 22, 2022, but remanded the other issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's kidney cancer and left nephrectomy are remanded due to the PACT Act requiring a VA examination for toxic exposure. The examiner must determine if the cancer is related to service, especially Agent Orange exposure, and whether it is secondary to his service-connected prostate cancer.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran is in need of regular aid and attendance due to her service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, depression, cystitis, and urinary incontinence. The decision grants SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance.
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