The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for chronic kidney disease status post left nephrectomy for kidney cancer is denied. The effective date cannot be earlier than March 14, 2017, when VA amended its regulations to include bladder cancer as a disability presumptively associated with contaminants present in the water supply at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The claim is legally precluded due to the effective date for a grant of service connection being the date of receipt of the claim or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later. The Veteran's application to reopen his claim was filed in January 2016, but entitlement did not arise until March 14, 2017.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic kidney disease status post left nephrectomy for kidney cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20020810
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 20020810.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
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- Granted
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- Remanded (sent back)
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