Kidney disease decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a kidney disability and hypertension are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding exposure to jet fuel in service.

The Board has not fully addressed the issues of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and whether his preexisting scleroderma was aggravated by service. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for special monthly compensation based on need for aid and attendance of another person due to service-connected disabilities, as well as housebound status due to service-connected disabilities. The evidence did not establish that the Veteran was in need of regular aid and assistance or permanently housebound solely due to his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claim for hyperlipidemia was denied as it is not a disability for which VA compensation benefits can be awarded.,The Veteran's initial rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes was also denied, as he did not require regulation of activities to control his condition.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right and left shoulder disorders, ulcers, prostate disorder, hemoglobin disorder, cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, cardiac disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, kidney disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, eye disorder, and hypertension. The Board found no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and service.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claim of service connection for a kidney disability, as his current condition was not incurred in or related to his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for kidney stones. The claims for service connection for hemorrhoids, left knee disability, right knee disability, and bilateral shoulder disabilities are remanded.

The Board has ordered the VA to provide additional medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's liver, kidney, and pancreatic cysts are at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his service-connected COPD. The VA will need to review the relevant records and provide a rationale for their conclusions.

Service connection for coronary artery disease is granted. An effective date earlier than January 31, 2015, for the grant of service connection for PTSD is denied. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD is remanded. Service connection for left eye ischemic optic neuropathy and hypertension are remanded. Service connection for peripheral vascular disease (bilateral lower and upper extremities) and kidney dysfunction are remanded. Service connection for erectile dysfunction is remanded. Special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a creative organ is remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for continued symptoms of urine retention and incontinence as a residual of ablation of the posterior urethral valve surgery, but found that VA's failure to timely diagnose and properly treat the disease or injury did not cause additional disability. The case is remanded for further examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and an inadequate opinion regarding the cause of death. The AOJ is instructed to obtain any missing private medical records, including those from Dr. J. M., and seek a new VA medical opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's cause of death.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional examinations. The issues include bilateral plantar fascitis, right groin strain, left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and atrophy of the left kidney with cyst.

The Veteran's left knee disability, nephrolithiasis, neck disability, right knee arthritis, and symptomatic residuals of a right knee meniscectomy are all granted. The Veteran is awarded a separate rating for right knee instability effective October 1, 2013.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and renal glycosuria due to inadequate examinations and missing test results.

The Board denied service connection for allergies, COPD, intestinal disorders, acid reflux disorder, and kidney disorder as the evidence did not support a link to military service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right renal cyst / diabetic cystopathy, finding that it is caused by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension has been reopened, and the case is remanded to determine if his hypertension is related to his service or a service-connected condition. The kidney disability claim is also remanded due to its inextricability with the hypertension claim.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a kidney disorder is dismissed. The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, right knee disability, left hip and ankle disabilities, cervical spine disability, and left upper extremity disability (left arm) due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease are not rated higher than the currently assigned levels.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking end-stage renal disease to service. The Board also found that hypertension and chest pain during service did not warrant service connection.