The Veteran's claim for service connection for a kidney disorder was denied as there is no diagnosed kidney disorder at any time during the period on appeal. The Board finds that additional development is required to determine whether the Veteran has a separately diagnosed cognitive disorder and, if so, whether it is possible to differentiate the Veteran's symptoms of his dysthymic disorder from those of his cognitive disorder.
The deciding factor: The objective medical evidence does not demonstrate any diagnosed kidney disorder or symptoms attributable to renal deficiency at any point in time during the period on appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- Dysthymic Disorder, Headaches, Cognitive Dysfunction, Kidney Disorder, Residuals of Intestinal Infection, Bilateral Ankle Disorder, Right Knee Disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 7, 2015
- Citation
- 1551173
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1551173.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for obstructive sleep apnea and headaches, finding that the evidence does not support a finding of persistent daytime hypersomnolence or other manifestations consistent with a compensable disability rating under the criteria established by Diagnostic Codes. The matter is remanded to obtain additional information from the Veteran regarding his headaches and their impact on his daily life.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's OSA is granted as secondary to PTSD, but his headaches are denied due to lack of service connection.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's headaches, which manifested as very frequent and prolonged attacks causing severe economic inadaptability, are granted a 50 percent disability rating for the entire period on appeal.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disorder is related to his military service and grants entitlement to service connection.
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