Board Decision Lookup › Kidney disease

How the Board ruled on kidney disease claims, 2021–2025

How the Board of Veterans' Appeals ruled on kidney disease service-connection claims in 2021–2025, for every theory and secondary pairing we publish. Board-appealed cases only, counted per claim. Last updated October 4, 2026.

These are past Board decisions, not a prediction for any individual case, and not legal advice. The percentage is among DECIDED cases; cases sent back to VA (remanded) are counted separately.

Look up one claim at a time in the Board Decision Lookup →

Kidney disease (direct service connection)

Direct (began in or was caused by service), or theory not stated in the Board order

37.8% granted of 881 decided cases (margin of error 34.7–41.0%). 333 granted, 548 denied, 1,239 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 242 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

  • The Board gave significant weight to private or specialist opinions that reviewed the veteran's records, cited medical literature, and explained a rationale linking the kidney condition to service. (9 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 21076482, A25035517, A23000481)
  • Many grants involved kidney cancer or kidney disease tied to a documented exposure in service, such as chemicals, contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, or herbicides. (7 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 24026317, 24026811, 23040126)
  • The Board discounted VA opinions that did not explain why other causes were more likely, or that could not answer without speculating. (2 of 13 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. A24015342, 22030342)

Common reasons in denied cases

  • The Board denied when no competent medical opinion linked the kidney condition to service: only the veteran's own belief, or a private opinion that was speculative or declined to give an opinion. (5 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 23046921, A21013543, 22002765)
  • The Board denied when testing and records showed no current kidney disability during the claim. (4 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 23011461, 23040681, A23015340)
  • The Board denied when the kidney problem was tied to high blood pressure that was not service connected, or when a thorough VA opinion against a link went unrebutted, sometimes noting decades between service and diagnosis. (5 of 13 decisions read; e.g. A25037413, A25006345, A21013543)

See the full answer, year by year →

Kidney disease (exposure claims)

Exposure (e.g. Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, burn pits)

25.5% granted of 145 decided cases (margin of error 19.1–33.2%). 37 granted, 108 denied, 236 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 15 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

  • The Board granted when a private or expert opinion, with a complete rationale based on the record and the veteran's history, explained how the exposure (such as Camp Lejeune water or herbicides) damaged the kidney. (6 of 10 decisions read; e.g. 22048872, A24069031, A21004394)
  • The Board gave little weight to VA opinions that blamed another cause, like hypertension, without explaining why it was more likely than the exposure, and favored better-supported positive opinions. (2 of 10 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 22023713, A21003184)
  • The Board granted kidney cancer on a presumptive basis when the veteran had qualifying Camp Lejeune service, since kidney cancer is on that presumptive list. (2 of 10 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 23010579, A25028973)

Common reasons in denied cases

  • The Board denied when thorough VA opinions, citing literature and the record, found other causes more likely, such as personal risk factors, post-service causes or a congenital cyst, and nothing comparable rebutted them. (5 of 13 decisions read; e.g. A23005978, 21036810, A22000820)
  • The Board gave little or no weight to private opinions that had no rationale, stated only a questionable link, or assumed an exposure the record did not verify. (3 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 22017495, 21062575, A22017540)
  • The Board denied when the kidney condition was not on a presumptive list, exposure was not shown, or the condition first appeared many years after service. (5 of 13 decisions read; e.g. A25012007, 21062575, 21055120)

See the full answer, year by year →

Kidney disease secondary to any service-connected condition

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

52.8% granted of 271 decided cases (margin of error 46.8–58.6%). 143 granted, 128 denied, 423 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 16 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

  • The Board gave high weight to opinions from treating or private kidney specialists who knew the veteran's history and explained how high blood pressure damaged the kidneys. (4 of 12 decisions read; e.g. 21043297, A23025875, A21009131)
  • Favorable VA examiner opinions also won claims when they reviewed the full record and gave a reasoned explanation, sometimes citing medical literature; a negative VA opinion with no rationale got limited weight. (4 of 12 decisions read; e.g. 21004956, 21067084, 23017070)
  • Grants rested on hypertension or diabetes already being service-connected, often through herbicide presumptions, and the Board noted the service-connected condition need not be the only cause. (4 of 12 decisions read; e.g. 23017070, A25002897, A21009131)

Common reasons in denied cases

  • The Board denied when thorough VA opinions, based on the full record, outweighed a private opinion, or when no doctor linked the kidney condition to service or a service-connected condition. (4 of 12 decisions read; e.g. 21046983, 21063851, 21025476)
  • Secondary claims failed because the underlying diabetes or hypertension was not service-connected. (4 of 12 decisions read; e.g. 24007258, A25025387, 22046334)
  • Service records were silent and kidney problems first appeared years later; the veteran's own view of the cause was not competent medical evidence. (5 of 12 decisions read; e.g. A24070337, 21020531, A23010560)

See the full answer, year by year →

Kidney disease secondary to diabetes

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

44.4% granted of 81 decided cases (margin of error 34.1–55.3%). 36 granted, 45 denied, 107 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 5 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

  • The Board granted when a medical opinion, VA or private, tied the kidney disease to diabetes as a recognized complication, based on the veteran's history, exam or testing, and nothing competent contradicted it. (6 of 12 decisions read; e.g. A25005541, A22000587, A24028027)
  • Several grants rested on favorable opinions from VA examiners or VA treating providers themselves, sometimes even when the opinion was brief. (3 of 12 decisions read; e.g. A25005541, A24028027, A25000588)
  • VA opinions lost weight when they gave no rationale or wrongly said there was no kidney diagnosis, and a diagnosis at any point during the appeal counted. (3 of 12 decisions read; e.g. 21044808, 24017012, 21013811)

Common reasons in denied cases

  • Most often the secondary claim failed because the diabetes itself was not service-connected, so there was no service-connected condition to link the kidney disease to. (5 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 21018382, A25025387, 21056899)
  • On the medical evidence, the Board denied when VA opinions with adequate rationale went unrebutted, the kidney disease was attributed to another cause such as hypertension, or a private opinion was too speculative. (4 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 21030660, 21063851, A22005175)
  • Some claims failed because the record showed no current kidney disability, and the veteran's own belief about a kidney condition or its cause was not competent medical evidence. (4 of 13 decisions read; e.g. A22016453, 21047019, A24002375)

See the full answer, year by year →

Kidney disease secondary to hypertension

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

74.6% granted of 71 decided cases (margin of error 63.4–83.3%). 53 granted, 18 denied, 82 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 4 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

  • The Board granted when a medical opinion explained how long-standing high blood pressure damages the kidneys' blood vessels and was based on a thorough review of the record. (6 of 14 decisions read; e.g. 24003486, 23017070, 21067084)
  • Opinions from treating kidney specialists who knew the veteran's history, including a VA Chief of Nephrology and a private nephrologist, were given high weight. (2 of 14 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 24000055, A23025875)
  • The Board often noted that no medical opinion in the record pointed the other way, and some favorable opinions cited medical studies on high blood pressure and kidney disease. (5 of 14 decisions read; e.g. 22060756, 21067084, A25013640)

Common reasons in denied cases

  • The most common reason for denial was no current chronic kidney diagnosis during the claim period, such as a past kidney injury that had resolved. (4 of 10 decisions read; e.g. A21016406, 23055938, 24005527)
  • No medical provider linked the kidney condition, and the veteran's own belief about the cause was not competent evidence on this complex medical question. (2 of 10 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 21025476, 24005527)
  • The Board denied when the record pointed to another cause, such as diabetic kidney disease, or when a favorable opinion gave only a conclusion with no rationale against reasoned VA opinions. (2 of 10 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 21016901, 24002976)

See the full answer, year by year →

Curious how your own records line up? Take the free case check.

Want a medical opinion written for your claim? Submit your case online at flatratenexus.com.

Other conditions

Percentages are shown only for combinations with at least 30 decided cases (granted + denied). Named secondary pairings with 10–29 decided cases are listed as "small sample" with counts only. "ANY service-connected condition (all combined)" pools every secondary claim for that condition. Other combinations exist, but there are too few decided cases to report. Each claim is counted by the Board's ruling on that specific claim (a decision covering several issues is split by issue). Remanded = sent back to VA for more work, not decided. "What convinced the Board" summarizes a reading of up to 25 granted and 25 denied Board decisions for each claim type, with the decision numbers shown so any point can be checked. Board-appealed cases only, not regional-office decisions. Information only, not legal advice. Flat Rate Nexus is a private medical practice, not affiliated with the VA.

Source: Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions, 2021–2025. Last updated October 4, 2026. flatratenexus.com · Privacy · Terms