Kidney disease decisions — 2011

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and chronic renal insufficiency, finding no evidence of a direct or secondary relationship to his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's death was caused by VA hospital care, specifically his treatment at the Las Vegas VAMC in April 2005. The medical expert concluded that the lack of timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment for hepatic artery occlusion contributed to the Veteran's poor prognosis.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection for prostate disorder, tinnitus, scar (claimed as residual of back injury), back disability, kidney condition, and peripheral neuropathy of lower extremities. The VA audiologist concluded that the appellant's post-service tinnitus was not related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a kidney disorder and the residuals of post-operative atelectasis, claimed as residuals of a cerebral vascular accident, were denied because there is no credible evidence that the current disabilities are related to service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for hypertension, renal failure, and sinusitis. The appeal is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate examination for tinnitus and the need to obtain post-service treatment records from Warren AFB.

The case is being remanded for additional development to obtain medical records and provide the Veteran with proper VCAA notice regarding his service connection claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are pending and will be remanded to the RO for a videoconference hearing.

The Veteran's diabetes, which was service-connected for accrued benefits purposes, significantly contributed to his death from anoxic encephalopathy due to or as a consequence of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy.

The Veteran died from UTI with E. coli and yeast, which was attributed to progressive renal failure, COPD, and diabetes mellitus.,Service connection for the cause of death is denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service. However, DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 is granted due to an adverse drug reaction.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to a Joint Motion for Remand, including providing the Veteran with information about obtaining and submitting evidence related to his malaria.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of chronic kidney disease, finding no medical evidence linking his current condition to his in-service malaria. The Board also noted a significant gap between the onset of his kidney disease and his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected perforated right kidney resulted in right flank pain, but did not cause any functional impairment. As such, the initial rating of 10% is denied.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Bryan LGH Medical Center in Lincoln, Nebraska on January 23 and 24, 2006 is granted. The Board finds that the criteria for emergency treatment were met, including a prudent layperson expectation of health hazard due to renal issues.

The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death, metastatic renal carcinoma, was not caused or contributed to by a service-connected disability and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, kidney cancer, is due to his presumed exposure to Agent Orange during service and has granted service connection for this condition.

The VA determined that the Veteran's current chronic kidney disease is not related to his military service and denied his claim.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that diabetes mellitus type II was not a principal or contributory cause of death and did not play a role in his fatal heart failure.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for renal cell carcinoma, claimed as due to asbestos exposure during service, is being remanded for further development including a VA examination.