Kidney disease decisions — 2000

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied as they are not well-grounded based on the lack of evidence showing a nexus to service.

The Board found that the veteran's cause of death (renal disease) and underlying condition (hypertension) were not related to his military service, thus denying the claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic renal failure as secondary to the veteran's service-connected arteriosclerotic heart disease, but denied service connection for diverticulitis on the grounds that there is no competent medical evidence linking it to his service-connected heart disorder.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for additional development, including obtaining medical records and seeking opinions from a VA physician regarding the cause of the veteran's death.

The Board dismissed the veteran's claims for compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 due to an inadequate substantive appeal.

The Board denied reopening the veteran's claim for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence. The cause of death was attributed to acute myocardial infarction, but no service-connected disability is found to have contributed to or caused the death.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for chronic renal disease. The evidence now shows objective findings and symptoms of the veteran's chronic renal disease were present during active military service.

The appellant's claim for benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was denied because there is no evidence that the VA's care caused or contributed to his additional renal disability.

The Board denied service connection for actinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma, and renal cyst. Service connection was granted for degenerative joint disease of the right shoulder but not for multiple joint arthritis or arthritis of the cervical spine. Claims for increased evaluations were also addressed.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and a chronic skin disorder, kidney disorder, vision problems, numbness of the legs, and headaches as the result of exposure to herbicides during service. The evidence did not meet the threshold requirement for well-grounded claims.

The Board has determined that the claim is well-grounded and grants service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a right kidney disorder and low back disorder, finding that there was no new and material evidence to reopen the right kidney claim and that the claims were not well-grounded.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected glaucoma and denied both the cause of death claim and DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection have been denied as new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen any of the previously denied claims.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for hypertension and renal disease on an accrued basis, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service. The cause of death was attributed to a brain tumor due to or as a consequence of renal failure.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for renal cancer, including as due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam, finding that there was no positive association between exposure to Agent Orange and renal cancer.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of her husband's death is not well grounded. The medical evidence does not support a link between the veteran's death and his military service.

The Board found no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's current kidney disability and chronic urinary tract infections to his service, specifically an episode of dehydration in 1992. The claim is therefore denied.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, as secondary to exposure to ionizing radiation due to lack of evidence supporting a well-grounded claim.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by service-connected conditions, and thus denied claims for service connection for cause of death and special monthly compensation benefits.