Kidney disease decisions — 2005

The Board found no evidence of polycystic kidney disease in service or related to a service-connected disability, and denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and requests for additional information from various sources.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a comprehensive VA examination to determine if any of the claimed disabilities are related to the veteran's diabetes mellitus and/or his exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for his renal cyst, hemorrhoids, and scars. The evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under applicable VA rating criteria.

The veteran died of acute congestive heart failure due to sepsis, and the Board found that his service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder did not cause or contribute substantially to his death.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have any service-connected conditions.,There is no evidence of a current disability for renal cancer, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, or knee disorder. The low back disorder was diagnosed many years after service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's Type II diabetes, with associated retinopathy and chronic renal failure, is more likely than not related to her gestational diabetes during service.

The Board found that the causes of the veteran's death (sepsis, end-stage renal disease due to diabetes mellitus) were not caused or substantially contributed by his service-connected conditions.

The veteran's death was not service-connected, and he did not meet the eligibility criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of kidney disability, liver disability, or gout, and therefore cannot establish service connection for these conditions.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in loss of use of both lower extremities, requiring specially adapted housing.

The Board has ordered remand due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the secondary service connection claims for hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), and chronic renal failure.

The Board denied the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that the evidence did not establish a causal link between the causes of death and active service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and no new evidence has been submitted to reopen claims for left and right knee disabilities or bronchitis.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and denied DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 due to lack of evidence linking the cause of death to a service-connected disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a cardiovascular disability other than left ventricular hypertrophy, finding that there is no current evidence of coarctation of the aorta or mitral valve prolapse. The Board also found that there is no evidence linking any current cardiovascular disability to service-connected hypertension.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death, finding that his fatal renal failure and arteriosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD) were not related to his military service due to tobacco use in service. The Board also found that there was no evidence linking hypertension or other conditions to his service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer and renal cancer, finding that there is no competent evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran died from a non-service-connected cause and did not meet the criteria for VA burial benefits.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining confirmation of the veteran's dates of active duty and inactive duty training in the Army Reserve, as well as any relevant medical records from that period. The claims for service connection for kidney stones and eczema, as well as whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen claims for diabetes mellitus and a transurethral resection of the bladder neck and prostate with chronic cystitis, will be reconsidered based on all available evidence.