The Board remands the claim for service connection for chronic kidney disease and renal cell carcinoma due to an inadequate medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The September 2023 and October 2024 VA opinions are found to be inadequate as they did not address all claimed toxic exposure risk activities, including herbicide agents during service in Thailand, and failed to consider the synergistic combined effect of all toxic exposures. Additionally, these opinions did not adequately address medical literature submitted by the Veteran regarding PFOA and AFFF.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic kidney disease, renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25090478
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25090478.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic kidney disease, effective January 30, 1998. The decision is based on newly associated service treatment records that were not previously considered in the original denial of the claim.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed as the appellant withdrew their request for a hearing and to continue with the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran meets the basic medical eligibility criteria for PCAFC benefits due to his need for personal care services based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury. However, further clinical evaluation is needed to determine if participation in the program is in the Veteran's best interest.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the relationship between chronic kidney disease and service. The Veteran's claim will be returned for further examination and opinion.
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