Kidney disease decisions — 2005

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to lack of evidence linking any of his medically established causes of death (cardiovascular-renal disease) to military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left shoulder disorder and chronic ureterolithiasis (kidney stones) as there is no competent evidence of a nexus to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis, hypertension, anemia, dizziness, general weakness, residuals of malaria, and kidney disability. The Board found that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated during military service.

The Board has denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there is no medical evidence linking his psychiatric disability or any other service-connected condition to his death from renal carcinoma.

The Board granted the veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his service-connected diabetes mellitus and residuals of left shoulder injury, status-post reconstructive surgery. The veteran was also awarded a separate rating for his scar secondary to the left shoulder injury. Additionally, the Board found that the veteran's kidney disease and pneumonia are service connected.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether service-connected leg conditions caused or aggravated the veteran's death from multiple organ failure, including peripheral vascular disease.

The veteran's claim for service connection for amyloidosis with renal failure and hypertension is being remanded due to uncertainty about his eligibility for the presumptive service connection based on herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The case will be reviewed after obtaining the veteran's service personnel records and a VA examination.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions were not incurred or aggravated by service and denied his claims for service connection. The tinea pedis was rated as noncompensable under the old criteria.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability of kidney stones, pancreatitis, type II diabetes mellitus, or coronary artery disease related to his military service. As such, the claims for these conditions are denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions, including diabetes mellitus with congestive heart failure, renal insufficiency, and kidney transplant, were not incurred in or aggravated by active military service. The appeal is denied.

The Board found that the veteran's renal cell carcinoma and kidney removal were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor may cancer be presumed to have been so incurred. The claim was denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and renal insufficiency were not incurred or aggravated by service, and therefore denied both claims. The veteran was granted service connection for renal insufficiency but with a zero percent rating.

The Board found no service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and denied DIC benefits based on a lack of legal merit.

The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death (bilateral renal cell carcinoma with metastases) was not caused by or a result of service, including exposure to ionizing radiation. The appellant's DIC claim under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 and her pension eligibility were also denied due to lack of evidence linking the cause of death to service.

The veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability. The Board denied the claims for service connection for the cause of death, DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, and Dependents' Educational Assistance.

The Board denied increased disability ratings for various service-connected conditions and did not grant service connection for a left knee disability or hemorrhoids.

The Board denied the appellant's claim to reopen her service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine when the veteran's diabetes mellitus started and whether his National Guard service included qualifying active duty.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure, and obstructive sleep apnea were not incurred or aggravated by his active military service.

The Board determined that the cause of death, pneumonia, was not service-connected. The veteran's renal cell carcinoma is also not service-connected. Therefore, the claim for service connection for the cause of death and burial benefits were denied.