Kidney disease decisions — 2008

The veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on need for aid and attendance is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has denied service connection for a kidney cyst and left hand arthritis as there is no evidence of these conditions during or after service, and the veteran's statements are not considered sufficient to establish current disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and a renal disorder secondary to hypertension, finding that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. The Board also found that hypertension was not incurred or aggravated in service and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Board has denied the reopening of previously denied claims for service connection for beriberi, a pulmonary disability, and a kidney disorder. The veteran's current assertions do not provide new and material evidence to support these claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for kidney disorder, hypertension, and gastroesophageal reflux disease as they were not proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability.

The Board denied the claim to reopen service connection for residuals of a bayonet wound of the left hip due to lack of new and material evidence.,Service connection was not granted for renal calculus, right eye disability, or osteoarthritis as there is no evidence showing these conditions were incurred in service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete compliance with previous directions.

The Board denied all service connection claims, finding that the veteran did not have a psychiatric disorder in service or develop one later. The chronic sinusitis claim was also denied as there is no evidence of current sinusitis related to service. Other conditions were not found to be service-connected.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right radical nephrectomy, secondary to renal cell carcinoma of the right kidney and PTSD. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to service or presumed Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his military service, including exposure to herbicides. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the relationship between the veteran's kidney cancer and his service-connected prostate cancer, as well as whether he has a current skin disability. The claims are being remanded for these purposes.

The Board finds that the veteran's renal cell carcinoma is related to exposure to herbicide agents in service, specifically Agent Orange. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's skin cancer, hypertension, paresthesia of fingers/toes, renal artery atherosclerotic disease, CAD, and erectile dysfunction are not service-connected or secondary to service.

The case is being remanded for additional development of records and information.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for a kidney disorder has been withdrawn. The issue of total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability remains pending.

The Board has determined that the veteran's diabetes mellitus, Type II and hypertension are not service-connected. The chronic kidney condition and vision problems were also found to be unrelated to service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a videoconference hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, glomerulonephritis, and kidney failure were denied as there is no evidence of these conditions in service or within the first post-service year. The claim for diabetes mellitus was also denied due to a rebuttal of the presumption that it is related to Agent Orange exposure. Service connection was not granted for bilateral anterior chamber angle narrowing or anemia.

The Board has granted service connection on a secondary basis for the veteran's blood abnormality (anemia) due to his service-connected heart disability. The liver lesion and kidney cyst are not productive of disability, and thus no grant of service connection is warranted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected PTSD did not contribute substantially or materially to his death, and therefore denied service connection for cause of death.