The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the appellant's left kidney disorder pre-existed service and was aggravated by in-service toxic exposure. The VA is instructed to obtain an adequate medical opinion addressing these issues.
The deciding factor: The VA needs to provide a proper medical opinion on whether the appellant's pre-existing condition clearly and unmistakably existed prior to service and if it was aggravated during service.
- Claimed conditions
- left kidney disorder, left ureteropelvic junction obstruction, chronic fibrosing pyelonephritis, hydronephrosis
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2024
- Citation
- 24011254
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 24011254.
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 Veteran's kidney condition, including hydronephrosis and/or renal cyst, is remanded for further review due to a failure to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of his condition. The examiner must consider all potential exposures, including contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and fuels as a result of his MOS as a bulk fuel man.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's hydronephrosis is granted with a 10 percent evaluation effective August 23, 2011. The Board remanded the case for further development and consideration of increased evaluations.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to the combined effects of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, but denied an increased rating for hydronephrosis.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hydronephrosis, finding that it was not caused by or aggravated by her service-connected cystitis.
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