Citation Nr: 21012619 Decision Date: 03/04/21 Archive Date: 03/04/21 DOCKET NO. 15-11 300 DATE: March 4, 2021 REMANDED Service connection for kidney disease is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served honorably on active duty in the United States Marine Corps from May 1972 to November 1972, December 1972 to December 1974, and from August 1975 to September 1978. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from an October 2011 rating decision issued by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). The Appellant is the Veteran’s surviving spouse. In November 2018, the Board issued a decision denying an increased rating for a back disability. In an October 2020 Order, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court) endorsed a joint motion for partial remand (JMPR), vacated the Board’s November 2018 decision in part, and remanded the case for further action consistent with the terms of the joint motion. As noted above, this matter was returned to the Board pursuant to an October 2020 JMPR. “A joint motion for remand, when drafted properly, identifies … clear instructions to the Board as to what it is required to address, and what actions it is required to take, on remand. This increases both administrative and judicial efficiency.” Carter v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 534, 541 (2014), vacated on other grounds sub nom. Carter v. McDonald, 794 F.3d 1342 (Fed. Cir. 2015). In January 2018, VA obtained a medical opinion on whether the Veteran’s chronic kidney disease was due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The physician found it was less likely than not that the Veteran’s chronic kidney disease was caused by or the result of exposure to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune. The physician found that the Veteran’s kidney disease was caused by focal segment glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). In their rationale, the physician explained that studies suggest that environmental factors may play role in the onset of FSGS, but did not opine if exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune may have caused the Veteran’s FSGS. The Board cannot make a fully-informed decision on the issue of service connection for kidney disease because no VA examiner has opined whether the Veteran’s FSGS was caused by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. As such, a remand is necessary to obtain an addendum opinion. The matter is REMANDED for the following action: Obtain an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran’s focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater) related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. JOHN Z. JONES Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board Michael Chandeck, Associate Counsel The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.