The Board has remanded the case due to deficiencies in the VA's duty to assist, specifically regarding a lack of an adequate medical opinion. The Veteran needs a new examination to determine if his removal of a right kidney is related to service.
The deciding factor: The previous VA opinion was inadequate and lacked a reasoned medical explanation.
- Claimed conditions
- removal of a right kidney
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18136227
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 18136227.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's right kidney condition and requests a new opinion from a different provider.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right kidney condition, specifically whether it is related to his military service. A new opinion is needed from an examiner.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claim for removal of a right kidney is denied, and his claims for increased ratings for PTSD and diabetes mellitus are not currently in dispute as they were previously addressed by the RO.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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