Kidney disease decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions regarding the relationship between his conditions and presumed in-service herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicides and his service connection for cause of death. The appellant must provide verification of her claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and rating for various conditions have been denied. The issues of service connection are being remanded due to the need for further development regarding alleged exposure to herbicide agents or other chemicals during his time in Okinawa.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic kidney disease should be remanded due to new evidence and a need for an addendum opinion.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including a new VA examination and medical opinion regarding the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability, as well as his claims of entitlement to compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for additional right leg disability, to include below-knee amputation (BKA), due to VA surgical and hospital care in early 2013.

The Board denied service connection for kidney stones and Graves' disease, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's cause of death and burial benefits claims are being remanded due to the need for further development regarding substitution as the appellant is seeking to continue his pending service connection claims.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a kidney disorder is being remanded due to the submission of new and material evidence. The issues include service connection related to herbicide exposure, contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, and secondary to myelodysplastic syndrome.

The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be at least as likely as not due to his active military service, specifically his in-service exposure to herbicides which caused his clear cell kidney cancer.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations are insufficient and remanded for further evaluations of the Veteran's low back disorder, nephrolithiasis, and hemorrhoids. The issues have been remanded due to incomplete or insufficient examination reports.

The Veteran's end stage kidney disease is granted as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus type 2.,The Veteran's initial rating for diabetes mellitus type 2 remains at 10 percent, with no further increase.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as the appellant and her representative have withdrawn their appeals for certain conditions.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for colon cancer, earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and an earlier effective date for a 40% rating for bilateral hearing loss have been withdrawn.,The claim for reopening of a previously denied claim of service connection for asthma has been granted. The claim for reopening of a previously denied claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder has also been granted.,Service connection for hypertension has been granted.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, heart disorders, kidney disorders, and right eye disorders as the evidence did not support a finding of in-service incurrence or relationship to service.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his hepatorenal syndrome/renal failure and liver failure were not related to his period of active service or any service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and a need for further examination. The left ankle disability and chronic kidney disease claim are both being reviewed.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for the Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II with diabetic retinopathy and chronic renal disease, finding that his condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on insulin use or dietary restrictions alone.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 80 percent for chronic kidney disease associated with diabetes mellitus has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran, and the Appellant is not entitled to substitution as the claimant.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease as new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the claims. The Veteran's current conditions are related to non-service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral eye disability, kidney disease, left and right ear hearing loss, and tinnitus have been denied as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to service or any in-service injury, event, or exposure.