The Veteran's claim for service connection for the removal of his right kidney was granted on April 28, 2017. The Board denied an earlier effective date as there is no regulation or precedent that supports such a decision.
The deciding factor: There are no regulations or precedents that support granting an earlier effective date based on the Veteran's argument or exposure to contaminants at Camp Lejeune.
- Claimed conditions
- removal of right kidney
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20008095
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,350 · Granted: 26% (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 20008095.
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: Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension, kidney cancer, and removal of the right kidney due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or any presumptive exposure to herbicide agents.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for removal of his right kidney, finding that the condition was incurred during active service and is not due to any pre-existing defect.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for clear cell renal carcinoma and removal of right kidney, claimed as a result of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, asbestos, and/or hazardous chemicals is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged exposures.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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