Kidney disease decisions — 2000

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for skin cancer, loss of left kidney, sterility, and disintegrating discs secondary to exposure to ionizing radiation. However, the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to service or exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claims for service connection are not well grounded, and thus denied them. The claim of entitlement to service connection for a joint disability is reopened due to new evidence submitted since the last decision.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for compensable ratings for polycystic kidney disease, residuals of cervical dysplasia, and ovarian cystic disease. The appeal regarding entitlement to a 10 percent rating under 38 C.F.R. § 3.324 was also denied.

The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding no competent evidence linking any service-connected disability to his death.

The veteran's claims for service connection for kidney stones and residuals of head injuries were denied. The initial ratings for his right and left knee disorders have been granted at 10% each.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability due to new and material evidence. The claims for left knee disability, hypertension, and kidney disorder are not well grounded.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral posterior subcapsular cataracts and COPD, all secondary to exposure to ionizing radiation. The VA Assistant Chief Medical Director found it unlikely that these conditions were related to the veteran's in-service exposure.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 due to a lack of competent evidence relating the veteran's death to his period of active duty or any service-connected disability.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability and denied the claim for service connection for the cause of his death.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including carcinoma of the colon (claimed as secondary to Agent Orange exposure), a liver disorder, a prostate disorder, and kidney stones. The claims were not well-grounded due to lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for multiple physical disabilities due to exposure to ionizing radiation is not well-grounded and therefore denied.

The Board has determined that there are no current residuals of the veteran's in-service rupture of the right kidney, and thus does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to atherosclerotic heart disease, finding that there was no evidence of nicotine dependence arising in service and thus not well-grounded.

The veteran's appeal is dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, but the other issues related to the reduction of ratings and special monthly compensation have not been decided yet.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and increased evaluations for residuals of a right eye injury, nonspecific urethritis, and prostatitis. The claim for kidney and bladder calculus was denied as not well-grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's residuals of nephrolithotomy (kidney stones) do not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation, and thus denied his claim for an increased rating.

The Board denied the veteran's attempts to reopen his claims for service connection for stomach and kidney disabilities, finding that no new and material evidence had been received.

The Board has determined that the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is not well grounded due to insufficient evidence linking his death to his active service or any service-connected conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. 1151 as there was no medical evidence showing that any VA treatment or surgical procedure caused his death.