The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for kidney cancer and removal due to a lack of a causal link provided by the VA examiner. The Veteran's disability is being reviewed again with the expectation that a new examination will provide a more detailed explanation.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA examiner did not provide sufficient rationale for their conclusion regarding the relationship between the Veteran’s kidney disabilities and his service, specifically exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- kidney cancer, kidney removal
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2020
- Citation
- A20015949
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for cause of death to obtain a new medical opinion due to errors in previous examinations.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for kidney cancer, finding that the Veteran's condition is related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for kidney cancer was dismissed due to the untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for kidney cancer on a direct basis, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's kidney cancer and his military service or presumed exposure to herbicide agents.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.