The Board has granted service connection for the cause of death due to ESRD, which was found to be related to exposure to toxic substances during military service.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions were in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's exposure to toxic substances caused his ESRD and subsequent death from renal failure. The Board therefore granted service connection for cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2026
- Citation
- 26002423
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 26002423.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted readjudication of the claims for service connection for hypertension and ESRD, finding that new evidence supports these claims. The Veteran's hypertension is found to have had its onset during active duty, and it is at least as likely as not that his ESRD is secondary to his hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's ESRD is being remanded due to multiple pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, including the need for SSA disability records and private treatment records from Baylor University and FMC Irving Dialysis. An addendum VA medical opinion is also needed regarding the likely etiology of his kidney disease.
- Granted
The Veteran's Crohn's disease and ESRD are granted as service connected, with the ESRD being secondary to his service-connected Crohn's disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's ESRD and his service. The case will be returned for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.