Kidney disease decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions, including cervical spine disorder, kidney stone, degenerative arthritis of the knees, and sleep disturbances. The AOJ is instructed to ensure all relevant records are translated and obtain appropriate medical opinions regarding the relationship between these conditions and active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to new evidence submitted and need further examination and opinion regarding his claimed conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death was related to service, specifically a cyst on his left arm. The appellant must provide any outstanding private medical records from the Veteran’s Memorial Medical Center and VA will obtain them.

The Board has ordered remand due to the need for addendum opinions regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension and kidney disease were aggravated by his service-connected conditions, including diabetes mellitus and PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The VA also denied increased ratings for various conditions, including a right brachial plexus injury and migraine headaches.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral hand disorder and chronic kidney disease have been reopened due to the introduction of new and material evidence. The claim for PTSD has resulted in a total disability evaluation.,PTSD is rated based on occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA medical opinion to determine if the appellant developed additional disabilities as a result of either the August 2009 radical prostatectomy or the March 2005 denial of a urology referral, and whether such disabilities were due to carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on the part of VA.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including back pain, dental problems, blood in the urine, kidney cancer, PTSD, and bilateral knee degenerative joint disease with tendonitis/synovitis. The decision also includes a request for VA examinations and an earlier effective date determination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and kidney cancer, rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment from September 26, 2007 to June 12, 2009. He was granted SMC based on the need for aid and attendance during this period.

The Veteran's kidney cancer is not service-connected as it did not begin during his military service and there is no evidence linking the condition to in-service events or exposures.,There is insufficient evidence to establish a right hip or thigh disability, right gluteal muscle disability, or sciatic nerve disability of the right lower extremity. The Veteran has not been diagnosed with these conditions at any point during his claim period.,The Veteran's left hip or thigh condition (rhabdomyolysis with myonecrosis) and left sciatic neuropathy are service-connected as they were caused by a right partial nephrectomy performed in 2017, which the VA was found to be at fault for.,No rating has been assigned due to lack of current disability.

Service connection for diabetes mellitus type II (DMII) is granted.,Service connection for a peripheral circulatory disorder, originally claimed as peripheral vascular disease, to include as secondary to DMII, is granted.,Service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to DMII, is remanded.,Service connection for chronic kidney disease, to include as secondary to DMII, is remanded.,Service connection for cataracts, to include as secondary to DMII, is remanded.,Service connection for cardiomegaly, to include as secondary to DMII (claimed as an enlarged heart), is remanded.,Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, to include as secondary to DMII, is remanded.,Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, to include as secondary to DMII, is remanded.,Service connection for tremors (possible Parkinson's disease), to include as secondary to DMII, is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD prevented him from securing and maintaining gainful employment, leading to a TDIU rating. The Veteran also has additional disabilities rated at 60% (diabetes mellitus type II, left leg diabetic neuropathy, right leg diabetic neuropathy, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss) which meet the criteria for SMC based on housebound status.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for a back disorder, kidney disorder, and basal cell carcinoma have been dismissed. The appeal of an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for Parkinson’s Disease has been remanded.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the issues of diabetes mellitus, type II; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis B; cholesterol disorder; kidney disorder; and thyroid disorder have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.

The Board denied service connection for kidney cancer, including as due to herbicide exposure, and denied the claim of service connection for the cause of death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to new and material evidence having been received. The issues of whether the Veteran has sarcoidosis, prostate disorder, arthritis and joint pain, and renal cancer that are related to his military service are being addressed.

The Veteran's cause of death was not related to his active service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran’s conditions to his presumed exposure to contaminated water.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the claims for service connection for various conditions, including bipolar disorder and its secondary effects. The case is being remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for chronic kidney disease, finding that there was no evidence linking the condition to service or VA care.

The Board has remanded several issues including the Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities, with a focus on obtaining additional medical opinions to address potential secondary service connections and the nature of his kidney disability. The Veteran is also required to provide VA examination records.