Kidney disease decisions — 2005

The Board has determined that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability or other incident of service, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death, concluding that his POW captivity did not contribute to his heart disease or renal failure-induced cardiac arrest.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for a right heel decubitus ulcer and service connection for the cause of death due to renal failure, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to VA treatment or active military service.

The veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance of another person, or at the housebound rate was granted. The decision is based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary in the present case due to claims for service connection and TDIU.

The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to his death by any service-connected disability. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that one or more of the veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or contributed to his death.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and VA examination reports.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a kidney disability and peptic ulcer disease, as well as an increased evaluation for his post-operative scar. The VA found that there was no current diagnosis of these conditions and that they were not related to military service.

The veteran died of acute renal failure, cerebrovascular accident, and gastrointestinal bleeding. The cause of death is not service-connected as there was no evidence of a service-connected disability that caused or contributed to the veteran's death.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for a higher rating, finding that his residuals of right renal calculi with minimal strictures on the anterior urethra do not warrant a rating higher than 20 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current diagnoses of an eye or kidney disability, and therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute substantially to his death. The claim for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) was also denied.

The veteran's death was not caused or materially contributed to by his service-connected disability, and the significant conditions contributing to his death were unrelated to his military service.

The veteran's cause of death was not related to his active duty service, and the appellant did not meet the one-year deadline for filing a claim for accrued benefits.

The Board has granted service connection for the veteran's urethral condition, assigned a 10% disability rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae, and found that prior denials of service connection for prostate, kidney disease, and pseudofolliculitis barbae were not clearly and unmistakably erroneous.

The Board found that the veteran's renal disease was congenital in nature and not related to his active duty service, thus denying the claim.

The veteran's type II diabetes mellitus, diabetic retinopathy, macular edema and end-stage renal disease are all service-connected due to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a kidney disability, finding no current evidence of such condition and noting that there is no association between his in-service gonorrhea and any present kidney disability.

The Board found that the veteran's death was due to acute renal failure, but not related to his service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder. The appellant is also not eligible for Dependents' Educational Assistance as her spouse did not meet the eligibility criteria.

The Board has granted service connection for the veteran's kidney disability as secondary to his service-connected Reiter's syndrome. The right and left knee disabilities are both rated at 10 percent, but the veteran is seeking higher evaluations.