Kidney disease decisions — 2003

The Board has remanded the case to obtain additional medical records and request a VA physician's opinion regarding the cause of death.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not materially contribute to his death.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. 1151 for ESRD secondary to medication prescribed by VA.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected hypertension did not cause or contribute substantially to his death from renal failure due to hepatic failure and metastatic esophageal cancer.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him incapable of providing for his own daily self-care or from protecting himself against the hazards and dangers of daily living without the assistance of another person. He is not a patient in a nursing home.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his passing, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of his claims.

The Board has ordered further development due to pending issues regarding service connection for various conditions. The case is now remanded for additional examinations and consideration.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for hypertension and end-stage renal disease has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for polycystic kidney disease, finding that it was not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service.

The veteran's initial claim for a higher disability rating for his service-connected kidney disability was denied by the RO. The case is now remanded to obtain additional development and consideration.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have any of the claimed conditions related to his military service.

The Board denied a higher rating for pelvic pain secondary to scar tissue from prior renal mobilization and pyeloplasty, finding that the veteran's condition did not meet criteria for a higher than 10 percent rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151, finding that there was no failure of VA medical personnel to order appropriate diagnostic tests or properly treat his renal cancer. The death certificate indicated that the immediate cause of the veteran's death was from renal cancer with metastases.

The Board found no evidence of asbestosis related to the veteran's service and denied both his claims for asbestosis disability and kidney disability due to radiation exposure. The veteran's current conditions are not considered service-connected.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a kidney disorder and pyloric spasm, finding no evidence of current conditions related to his service-connected residuals of exploratory laparotomy and removal of retroperitoneal dermoid cyst.

The RO denied the veteran's claims for various disabilities, including left knee disability, skull fracture residuals, fractures of first proximal phalanx, facial scars, renal calculi, and a left thumb scar. The decision is not about service connection.

The Board denied the claim as there was no medical evidence linking the veteran's death to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the veteran's current chronic renal failure, status post kidney stones, is due to procedures he underwent in service and granted his claim for service connection.

The Board has ordered further development due to the need for additional evidence. The veteran is seeking service connection for blood disorder, kidney condition, and skin condition as secondary to exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Board granted service connection for a kidney disorder secondary to hypertension and assigned a 20 percent evaluation for lumbosacral strain from March 30, 1993. The rating for hypertension was increased to 20 percent effective July 24, 2002.