The Board has decided to reconsider the previously denied claim of service connection for a left kidney disability, which is presumed to be related to exposure at Camp Lejeune. The Veteran's statements and medical records suggest that his condition may have developed during service or was aggravated by service. A VA examination is needed to determine the nature and extent of the disability.
The deciding factor: The Board has decided to reconsider the claim due to new evidence suggesting a possible connection between the Veteran's kidney disorder and exposure at Camp Lejeune, which could be related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- left kidney disability, hydronephrosis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20003520
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,199 · Granted: 25% (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 20003520.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's kidney condition, including hydronephrosis and/or renal cyst, is remanded for further review due to a failure to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of his condition. The examiner must consider all potential exposures, including contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and fuels as a result of his MOS as a bulk fuel man.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left kidney disability, finding that there was no evidence of such a condition during his active duty and concluding that any current symptoms are not related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's hydronephrosis is granted with a 10 percent evaluation effective August 23, 2011. The Board remanded the case for further development and consideration of increased evaluations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability and a left kidney disability due to inadequate medical examinations in the past, and because of a duty to assist error regarding private treatment records. The Veteran will need to provide information about his private treatment and VA will obtain these records.
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