Kidney disease decisions — 2000

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for chronic renal insufficiency secondary to his liver transplant and for an increased evaluation of residuals of a liver transplant. The veteran was not granted service connection for chronic renal insufficiency, as there is no evidence of current disability related to his service-connected liver disorder. However, hypertension was found to be well-controlled and plausible in relation to his liver transplant.

The Board denied service connection for kidney and colon cancer due to exposure to ionizing radiation, as well as right renal mass and multiple polypoid adenomas of the colon. The evidence did not demonstrate these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection are not well grounded as there is no medical evidence of current diagnoses or a nexus between his claimed conditions and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for end stage renal disease and set the effective date to November 18, 1975.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection as his claimed condition is not well-grounded.

The Board has determined that further evidentiary development is needed, including determining the nature of the veteran's cattle farming operation and obtaining additional evidence regarding his service-connected disabilities. The claims for increased evaluations for coronary artery disease with hypertension and degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine will be addressed separately.

The Board has found that the veteran's claim is well grounded and remanded for further development, including a VA examination to determine if his current kidney disorder is proximately due to or the result of medications prescribed by the VA for his service-connected disabilities.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including as secondary to herbicide exposure, were denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's kidney insufficiency is secondary to his service-connected bipolar disorder and grants the claim.

The Board finds that the veteran's renal failure, caused by medication for his service-connected back disability, contributed to his death. Service connection is granted for the cause of the veteran's death.

The veteran died of hepato renal syndrome due to cirrhosis of the liver. The cause of death was not found to be related to his service-connected psoriasis.

The veteran's kidney infections are rated at a 10 percent evaluation, the highest available under VA rating criteria. The evidence does not support an increase in this evaluation.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claims for service connection are well-grounded and have been granted. The appellant is found to have PTSD, a gastrointestinal disorder due to an undiagnosed illness, and memory loss and fatigue due to an undiagnosed illness.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy, avitaminosis, and irritable bowel syndrome as presumptively incurred during the appellant's Prisoner of War status. Service connection for kidney stones was denied due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for a kidney disorder is denied due to lack of competent medical evidence showing current disability related to service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for secondary service connection to Agent Orange exposure, but finds that none of the individual conditions have been well grounded.

The Board has remanded the case due to ambiguity in the circumstances surrounding the VA examination of October 1999. The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD will be reviewed again with a new examination by two different psychiatrists.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred at a private hospital should be reimbursed due to the emergent nature of his condition and the lack of feasible availability of VA facilities.

The Board found that the appellant's claim for accrued benefits was timely filed, based on her informal claims and inquiries made within one year of the veteran's death.

The veteran's disabilities do not render him in need of regular aid and attendance or housebound, as he is able to care for himself and protect himself from daily hazards.