The Board has remanded the case for a more detailed medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's renal failure in 2008 was additional disability beyond normal progression, and if VA carelessness or error occurred during monitoring of vancomycin levels.
The deciding factor: The examiner needs to provide specific answers to questions about the cause of the Veteran's kidney problems following vancomycin treatment.
- Claimed conditions
- Renal Failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2021
- Citation
- 21064784
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 21064784.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, specifically his medication for treatment of PTSD, is found to have contributed materially to his death. The Board concludes the evidence is in approximate balance with respect to whether the PTSD medication caused his death.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for renal failure, finding that there was no evidence to support a direct link between his current condition and his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied requests for earlier effective dates and ratings for PTSD, renal failure, and SMC based on housebound criteria. The issues of initial higher rating for liver transplant residuals and SMC based on aid and attendance are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected conditions and his death, as well as the potential impact of in-service herbicide exposure.
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