The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus. The remaining issues of service connection for kidney disease/kidney cancer with metastasis, residuals of loss of a kidney, and hypertension are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding their etiology.
The deciding factor: The Board found that further development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's kidney disabilities and hypertension, as they may be related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- Hearing loss, Tinnitus, Kidney disease/kidney cancer with metastasis, Residuals of loss of a kidney, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2021
- Citation
- 21008488
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 21008488.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
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