The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's kidney disability, including oncocytoma and left kidney removal, is related to service-connected diabetes mellitus or exposure to herbicide agents.
The deciding factor: The previous opinion did not fully address the remand directives regarding herbicide agent exposure and causal relationship to a service-connected disease or injury.
- Claimed conditions
- kidney disability other than diabetic nephropathy, oncocytoma, left kidney removal
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 23, 2021
- Citation
- 21009771
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 21009771.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for kidney cancer, which was due to exposure at Camp Lejeune, has been granted. The claim is dismissed as the benefit sought on appeal has already been fully addressed in a previous decision.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a left ankle disorder, a left leg disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD. However, it granted an initial rating of 20 percent for residuals of bladder cancer and 10 percent for a scar of the left lower quadrant.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for kidney and bladder cancer, as well as the removal of the left kidney due to a service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examinations and private treatment records are inadequate for adjudication purposes. Therefore, the claims of entitlement to initial compensable ratings for residuals of renal cell carcinoma and left kidney removal, as well as TDIU, are being remanded to obtain missing records and conduct additional evaluations.
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