The Board has granted service connection for gout and denied service connection for colorectal cancer, calculi of kidney, calculi of the bladder, and calculi of the gall bladder. The claims for these conditions were based on direct evidence rather than a presumption due to exposure to herbicide agents or asbestos.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA did not find any nexus between the Veteran's service-connected disabilities (hypertensive cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus) and his current kidney, bladder, and gallbladder conditions. The absence of symptoms during service and no evidence of these conditions in the service treatment records were key factors.
- Claimed conditions
- gout, colorectal cancer, calculi of kidney, calculi of the bladder, calculi of the gall bladder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20013543
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 20013543.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board has remanded the Veteran's gout claim for additional development, including obtaining an adequate VA examination and ensuring all relevant records are obtained. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for gout and bilateral foot conditions due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's representative requested an informal conference, but it did not take place before the April 2021 rating decision was issued.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disorder, gout, multiple painful joints, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
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