The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a kidney condition including chronic kidney disease, renal insufficiency, and kidney cysts due to medications prescribed by VA to treat hypertension. The Board also denied compensation for gout. The Veteran's kidney condition was found not to be caused by the medications.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions did not find any evidence that the medications prescribed by VA caused or exacerbated the Veteran’s kidney conditions, and the treatment records showed that HCTZ, a diuretic used to treat hypertension, was discontinued due to concerns it aggravated the Veteran's gout. The Board found no causation.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic kidney disease, renal insufficiency, kidney cysts
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19180143
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,977 · Granted: 27% (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 19180143.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic kidney disease, effective January 30, 1998. The decision is based on newly associated service treatment records that were not previously considered in the original denial of the claim.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed as the appellant withdrew their request for a hearing and to continue with the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran meets the basic medical eligibility criteria for PCAFC benefits due to his need for personal care services based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury. However, further clinical evaluation is needed to determine if participation in the program is in the Veteran's best interest.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the relationship between chronic kidney disease and service. The Veteran's claim will be returned for further examination and opinion.
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