The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for chronic kidney disease, which is secondary to medication taken for his service-connected disability (lumbar spine), was denied as the evidence did not show persistent edema and albuminuria with BUN of 40-80 mg%, nor creatinine levels above 4 mg%. The Veteran's condition does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show persistent edema, albuminuria or renal dysfunction requiring dialysis, which are necessary to warrant a higher rating than 60 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Kidney Disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2019
- Citation
- A19003786
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,374 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A19003786.
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 Veteran's initial evaluations for chronic kidney disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have been remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's PTSD and Chronic Kidney Disease ratings have been restored to their previous levels of 70% and 30%, respectively, due to the failure to conduct necessary VA examinations in November 2019.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's chronic kidney disease is granted with an effective date of August 10, 2022. The appeal for PTSD and hypertension remains denied.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection for chronic kidney disease as a complication of hypertension, finding that the issue was not within the scope of the Veteran's initial claim and there was no evidence suggesting a relationship between hypertension and chronic kidney disease until the September 2025 application.
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