Citation Nr: 21029133 Decision Date: 05/12/21 Archive Date: 05/12/21 DOCKET NO. 18-13 763 DATE: May 12, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to service-connected diabetes and/or herbicide exposure, is remanded. Entitlement to service connection for a kidney condition is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from August 1969 to April 1971. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) from a February 2016 rating decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). A hearing was held in this matter in January 2021 before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge (VLJ), a transcript of which is associated with the record. 1. Entitlement to service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to service-connected diabetes and/or herbicide exposure, is remanded. The Veteran is seeking service connection for hypertension, which he contends is etiologically related to his service-connected diabetes or alternatively caused by herbicide exposure during active duty service. A review of the Veteran's private treatment records show that the Veteran has a present diagnosis of hypertension. Accordingly, the Board finds that the Veteran has a current disability. However, to date the RO has not provided the Veteran with a VA examination regarding the nature and etiology of the claimed condition. Accordingly, remand is warranted to obtain a VA examination regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed hypertension. 2. Entitlement to service connection for a kidney condition is remanded. In the January 2021 hearing before the undersigned VLJ, the Veteran stated that he is presently receiving treatment from a private urologist. A review of the record reveals that the most recent private treatment records which have been associated with the file are dated October 2017. As the aforementioned urology records may be pertinent to the issue on appeal, the Board finds that remand is necessary to obtain these records. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Ask the Veteran to complete a VA Form 21-4142 for his private urologist as referenced at the January 2021 hearing, as well as any other relevant outstanding private treatment records. Make two requests for the authorized records from any facility so identified, unless it is clear after the first request that a second request would be futile. 2. Schedule the Veteran for a VA examination by an examiner with sufficient expertise to address the etiology of his claimed hypertension. Following a review of the relevant records and lay statements, the examiner should state an opinion with respect to whether the claimed condition is at least as likely as not (a 50 percent probability or greater) either directly related to military service or proximately due to or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected disabilities. The examiner should specifically state an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's claimed hypertension is at least as likely as not etiologically related to herbicide exposure while on active duty service. If an examiner is unable to provide any required opinion, he or she should explain why. If an examiner cannot provide an opinion without resorting to mere speculation, he or she shall provide a complete explanation as to why this is so. T. REYNOLDS Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board D. Gorum, 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.