The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a kidney disease, finding no evidence linking his current condition to his military service or exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The claims for obstructive sleep apnea, upper respiratory disability, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura were remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The June 2024 VA examiner's opinion was highly probative as it contained clear conclusions with supporting data and a reasoned medical explanation connecting the Veteran's kidney disease to his long history of uncontrolled diabetes and poorly controlled hypertension, rather than any in-service injury or event. The Board found no evidence linking the other conditions to service.
- Claimed conditions
- kidney disease, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), upper respiratory disability to include sinusitis and/or rhinitis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2025
- Citation
- 25005534
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) based on the Veteran's exposure to in-service chemical agents.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to fibromyalgia due to a need for additional medical evidence.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
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