The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected kidney disease directly caused or contributed to his death from heart failure and other causes.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a medical opinion is necessary to determine if the Veteran's service-connected kidney condition was at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater probability) the direct cause or contributory factor of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- kidney disease, heart failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2021
- Citation
- 21072093
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 21072093.
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 has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease, and low back pain due to potential errors in duty to assist. The AOJ is required to verify the Veteran's alleged exposure to herbicide agents and obtain private treatment records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease are being remanded due to the need for VA examinations to determine if these conditions are related to his exposure to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune during service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, and kidney disease, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The decision also remanded the issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's hypertension, kidney disease, prostate cancer, and non-hodgkin's lymphoma are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's psychiatric condition is remanded for a determination on whether it is caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
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