Kidney disease decisions — 2010

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a seizure disorder (claimed as a shaking condition), fatigue, kidney disorder, hypertension, and high cholesterol. The appeals were all denied on the basis of lack of evidence linking these conditions to active service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's cause of death was renal failure, but the Board has determined that service connection for his anxiety disorder may have contributed to his death. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions and evidence.

The Board found no evidence that the Veteran's death was caused by a service-connected disability or any condition related to his military service, including exposure to ionizing radiation. The cause of death was determined to be metastatic small cell carcinoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which were not service-connected.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and renal insufficiency. The Veteran underwent a VA examination which indicated that his hypertension was worsened by his diabetes, and his renal insufficiency seemed to be caused by a mix of longstanding hypertension and poorly controlled diabetes.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of her husband's death and entitlement to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's cause of death to his military service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development and consideration due to various procedural issues, including obtaining missing service records and additional medical evidence.

The Board found that the Veteran's kidney cancer is not related to his service, including exposure to ionizing radiation. The claim was denied.

The Veteran's condition stabilized on November 7, 2003. The VA Medical Center denied payment or reimbursement for medical services provided beyond this date.

The Veteran's death was not due to VA medical treatment, and there is no evidence that the care provided by VA contributed to his death. The Board finds that the cause of death was sepsis due to sacral osteomyelitis.

The Board has granted service connection for coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular diseases of the lower extremities, and renal insufficiency. The Veteran's renal insufficiency is currently rated at 30 percent under the criteria for renal involvement in diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for peripheral vascular disease of the lower extremities and earlier effective dates for service connection are denied. The claim for TDIU is inextricably intertwined with these issues.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was denied as there is no evidence of additional disability associated with residuals of treatment for adenoma carcinoma of the colon secondary to radiotherapy for prostate cancer caused by VA care.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for chronic bronchitis, kidney stones, and a skin disorder have been reopened. The evidence now shows current disabilities related to these conditions, which raises the possibility that they may be linked to service or exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating and earlier effective dates were denied. The Board found no evidence of an earlier unadjudicated formal or informal claim for depression, and the Veteran's original application did not indicate intent to seek service connection for depression.

The Board denied service connection for kidney problems and leakage, finding no evidence of a relationship to service. The claim for secondary service connection for sleep apnea was also denied as there is no medical evidence linking the sleep apnea to any service-connected condition.

The Veteran's service-connected prostatitis is currently rated at 20 percent, but the Board finds that his symptoms do not warrant a higher rating due to other significant disabilities.

The Board denied an initial compensable disability rating for status-post kidney stone prior to May 10, 2006 and granted a 10 percent rating from May 10, 2006 forward.

The Veteran's kidney disorder, including right renal and ureteral stones, is not shown to be due to an injury or incident of service. The current condition is also not linked to the service-connected scar, residual of a surgical repair of the liver.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sarcoidosis, hypertension, and chronic renal failure. The Veteran was not shown to have a current sarcoidosis disability, and his statements about the onset of hypertension were found to be inconsistent with medical evidence. Chronic renal failure was determined to be caused by uncontrolled hypertension or hypertensive nephrosclerosis, which is not related to service.

The Board found no evidence to support a service connection for the cause of death, and thus denied all claims.