The Veteran's claim of service connection for a kidney disease disability due to Agent Orange exposure is reopened, but the case is remanded as additional development is needed to determine the etiology of his condition.
The deciding factor: Additional evidence was submitted that relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim (the relationship between the Veteran's current claimed disability and his active service), but a VA examination is required to address whether the kidney disease disability is related to Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- kidney disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19136761
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 940 · Granted: 21% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19136761.
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 decided to remand the Veteran's claims for heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease, and low back pain due to potential errors in duty to assist. The AOJ is required to verify the Veteran's alleged exposure to herbicide agents and obtain private treatment records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease are being remanded due to the need for VA examinations to determine if these conditions are related to his exposure to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune during service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, and kidney disease, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The decision also remanded the issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's hypertension, kidney disease, prostate cancer, and non-hodgkin's lymphoma are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's psychiatric condition is remanded for a determination on whether it is caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
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