The Board remands the claim for service connection of the cause of the Veteran's death to correct a duty to assist error, specifically regarding an inadequate medical opinion on the etiology of end stage renal disease.
The deciding factor: The AOJ failed to obtain adequate medical opinions addressing the Veteran's reported in-service exposure and the potential synergistic effects of toxic exposures, as well as other factors related to his cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- end stage renal disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 2, 2025
- Citation
- A25040683
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his end stage renal disease and systolic heart failure were not related to his military service or any service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for a survivor's pension was denied due to the appellant's countable income exceeding the maximum annual pension rate. The Board also remanded the issue of service connection for cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the appeal to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the potential service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, specifically focusing on the roles of PTSD and CAD in aggravating other conditions that contributed to his death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that his end stage renal disease was related to his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during military service.
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