Kidney disease decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for kidney disability, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease of the upper extremities, and peripheral vascular disease of the lower extremities due to exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam service. The AOJ is instructed to schedule VA examinations for the Veteran to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's death was caused by lactic acidosis due to acute kidney injury with hyperkalemia, which is presumed to be related to service exposure to herbicides in the Republic of Vietnam. The AOJ needs to verify if the Veteran went ashore at Da Nang during his service on USS Lipan and request relevant personnel records.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an increased disability rating for prostate cancer have been dismissed.,Service connection has been granted for kidney/renal cancer, metastatic brain cancer, metastatic cancer of the spine, and hypertension (HTN).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to non-compliance with previous directives and erroneous advice from the RO. The cases are being returned for further examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the claimed conditions, particularly in relation to herbicide exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including arthritis in multiple joints to include lumbosacral spine, cervical spine, and bilateral wrists; an eye disability (cataracts); a CVA; chronic kidney disease; hypertension; diabetes mellitus, type II; peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities; peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities; and CAD. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for arthritis in multiple joints.

The Veteran's PTSD with adjustment disorder and depression is rated at 70 percent.,The Veteran is granted a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.,Further examination is needed to determine the current severity of cataracts and PTSD with adjustment disorder and depression, as well as the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claim for renal cell carcinoma due to toxic herbicide exposure is being remanded as the evidence indicates a possible link between his active duty service and the development of the cancer, despite it not being among the diseases eligible for presumptive service connection based on exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease is found to have contributed substantially or materially to his death from progressive lung metastases due to kidney cancer. The Board grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.

The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease is found to have contributed substantially or materially to his death from renal cell carcinoma. The Board grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are sufficient to render him unemployable, and the Board has granted a TDIU. The remaining issues have been remanded for further development.

The Veteran's death was determined to be due to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II, which contributed to his respiratory failure and other health issues.

The Board has remanded the claims of benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for liver damage, kidney damage, and rhabdomyolysis due to VA prescribed Simvastatin. The issues are also being remanded for further development regarding service connection for the cause of Veteran’s death resulting from these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, including diabetes mellitus, an acute kidney condition, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and peripheral artery disease, as they are not related to military service or herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death was proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected hypertension, and whether metastatic adenocarcinoma originating in the kidneys is related to herbicide exposure.

The Board denied service connection for kidney disease, finding that the preponderance of evidence does not support a link between current diagnoses and active military service.

The Veteran's Cushing's syndrome, with symptoms including osteoporosis, weakness, loss of muscle strength, hematuria, striae, and adrenal insufficiency, is granted a 100 percent rating effective August 27, 2007.

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension, left shoulder disability, depressive disorder, and kidney condition due to new VA treatment records being added after the last statement of the case or supplemental statement of the case. Additional opinions are needed regarding whether the Veteran's conditions are related to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal regarding increased ratings for various disabilities and service connection was denied because the VA Form 9 was not filed within the required time frame.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted with a disability rating of 70 percent, effective from the date of his claim. The other issues are remanded for further review.

The Board has dismissed all service connection claims due to the Veteran's death.