Kidney disease decisions — 2019

The Board has dismissed the appeals as the Veteran died during the appeal process and thus, does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these claims.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection. The Veteran's hypertension is remanded for further examination, as the VA examiner did not address whether it was aggravated by PTSD or related to herbicide exposure. The Veteran's chronic kidney stones are also remanded for a medical opinion on their relationship to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension and coronary artery disease, have been granted. The appeals are based on the aggravation of these conditions by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing VA medical records and incomplete Social Security Administration (SSA) records. The Veteran's cause of death is related to his service-connected disabilities, but there are questions about whether these conditions existed before or during service.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, and kidney cancer due to potential exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's service on USS Constellation is under review to determine if he was within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of Vietnam.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2 due to Agent Orange exposure, gout, hypertension, kidney dysfunction, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy have been granted.,Service connection has also been remanded for the issues of TDIU.

The Veteran's metastatic kidney cancer and subsequent nephrectomy do not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 30 percent due to lack of evidence of nephritis, infection, or pathology of the other kidney.

The Board dismissed the issues of service connection for shingles, stomach condition (claimed as nervous stomach), and kidney condition (claimed as kidney failure) due to withdrawal by the Veteran. The issue of a higher rating for PTSD was not addressed.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's kidney and renal function disorder, including whether it is related to herbicide exposure during service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The Veteran's residual scar of the right lower quadrant is granted a 20 percent rating since November 25, 2015. Service connection for renal cell carcinoma (status post removal of right kidney) and prostate cancer are granted with effective dates prior to January 23, 2014.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, to include unspecified depressive disorder, is granted as service connected. The cases for tinnitus, sleep apnea, kidney disorder, prostate cancer, and Leukemia are remanded.

The Veteran's renal cell carcinoma is not presumed due to his Vietnam service, but a VA examiner will be needed to determine if it is related to Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran's service connection claims for right and left ear hearing loss, stroke residuals, ischemic heart disease, and kidney disease as secondary to a heart disorder are denied. The Board has remanded the Veteran's service connection claim for peripheral vascular disease (PVD) of the lower extremities due to herbicide exposure.,The Veteran's service connection claims for right and left ear hearing loss, stroke residuals, ischemic heart disease, and kidney disease as secondary to a heart disorder are denied. The Board has also remanded his service connection claim for peripheral vascular disease (PVD) of the lower extremities due to herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and renal artery stenosis due to lack of opinion regarding whether these conditions are proximately due to or the result of his service-connected coronary artery disease (CAD) and/or due to herbicide exposure.

The Board denied service connection for kidney failure, hypertension secondary to diabetes mellitus, and evaluations of major depression, prostate cancer, and diabetes mellitus type II. The Veteran's claims were remanded for further evaluation on other issues.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease, chest scar from coronary artery bypass graft, diabetes mellitus, type II, end-stage renal failure, hypertension, and neuropathy have all been denied.,Service connection was not granted for the Veteran’s chest scar as secondary to his service-connected coronary artery disease.

The Board denied service connection for ischemic heart disease and kidney disease, finding no current diagnosis of these conditions during the appeal period. The Veteran's service treatment records did not show any heart or kidney issues, and his post-service medical records also lacked relevant diagnoses.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the cause of death, specifically related to exposure to herbicides in service.