The Veteran's claim for service connection for renal toxicity, including as secondary to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, is denied. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that chronic kidney disease is related to his military service or exposure to contaminated drinking water.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's chronic kidney disease was diagnosed many years after service and there is no medical evidence showing it is due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The Board found the claim without legal merit as secondary service connection requires a service-connected condition, which has not been established for diabetes.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic kidney disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19143123
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for chronic kidney disease was dismissed due to the Veteran not timely filing a Notice of Disagreement within one year of the rating decision.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a vitamin D deficiency and remanded claims for coronary artery disease, status post femoral bypass, chronic kidney disease, and anemia due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including GERD, chronic kidney disease, COPD, a heart condition, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, insomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea, as additional development is necessary to address the Veteran's exposure to toxic chemical agents during his service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for chronic kidney disease and obstructive sleep apnea due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, including inadequate medical nexus opinions.
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