Kidney disease decisions — 2005

The Board has determined that the veteran's kidney disease, back disability, and hip disability were not incurred or aggravated during service. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for renal insufficiency, venous insufficiency of the bilateral lower extremities, and bilateral hearing loss as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The veteran is seeking a separate evaluation for his service-connected renal insufficiency. The RO has remanded the case to schedule a VA medical examination and reassess the issue.

The Board found that the October 10, 1968 rating decision denying service connection for a kidney disorder was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a chronic kidney disorder. The issues of service connection for right arm, left leg, and left foot disorders are remanded for further development.

The veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his kidney stones is being remanded due to the need for further development, including an examination to assess the severity of his condition.

The Board denied service connection for psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), duodenal ulcer disease, renal colic, bronchial asthma, and residuals of wounds of the forehead, back and thighs. The diagnoses were not established during or within one year after service.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding no competent and probative medical evidence linking them to active service or exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions are not service connected, with no exposure to herbicide agents and no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for kidney cancer, including as a result of herbicide exposure, finding no evidence linking the condition to his military service or presumed Agent Orange exposure.

The veteran is seeking service connection for diabetes mellitus and related conditions, including hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, rectal abscess, retinopathy, and renal insufficiency. The claim will be remanded to the RO for further development.

The Board has determined that the veteran's renal failure is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected hepatitis B, and thus grants service connection for renal failure on a secondary basis.

The veteran is seeking benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for kidney failure and proctitis, both claimed to be caused by medications or treatments provided at VA medical facilities. The RO has been instructed to review these claims with consideration of the new regulation effective September 2, 2004 (38 C.F.R. § 3.361), and to provide appropriate examinations for the veteran's conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected schizophrenia did not contribute substantially or materially to his death from Staphylococcus aureus sepsis. The medical evidence does not support a direct causal relationship between the veteran's schizophrenia and his cause of death.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed disabilities are not related to service and have denied all of his claims.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the veteran's stable, recurrent hepatorenal failure warrants a 60 percent disability rating.

The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death was not service-connected, and therefore denied both his claim for service connection for the cause of death and his DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The Board found that the veteran's thoracoabdominal aneurysm, myocardial infarction, and renal insufficiency were not caused by the June 1995 surgery at a VA Medical Center. The Board concluded that these conditions did not meet the criteria for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board found that the veteran's renal cell carcinoma and related conditions were not incurred in or aggravated by his military service, nor could they be presumed to have been so incurred. The Board also determined that there was no evidence showing a nexus between the veteran's fatal condition and Agent Orange exposure. As such, the claims for service connection were denied.