Kidney disease decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the case due to an issue regarding the Veteran's combat service and the award of the Combat Action Ribbon. The appellant is seeking service connection for various conditions, but the appeal will be reconsidered with additional information about the Veteran's claimed combat service.

All service connection claims for various conditions have been dismissed.,The Veteran's tension headaches are granted as secondary to his service-connected orthopedic injuries and PTSD.

The Veteran's left knee disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability during the pendency of the claim.,The Veteran's right knee disability, including as secondary to his left knee condition, is denied due to lack of service-connected disability and insufficient evidence linking it to service or a service-connected disability.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as there was no in-service event, injury, or disease, and the August 2017 private provider opinion is inadequate.,The Veteran's tinnitus is denied due to lack of an in-service onset and insufficient evidence linking it to service.,The Veteran's kidney disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability during the pendency of the claim.

The Veteran's claims for fibromyalgia, kidney cancer (due to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune), and gastrointestinal disorder have been dismissed due to the Veteran’s death.

The Board has dismissed all claims for service connection due to the Appellant's withdrawal of her appeals.

The Board has decided that further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's kidney disease was caused by his service-connected diabetes mellitus or due to herbicide exposure, and a new VA examination is required.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's genitourinary disorder, specifically her recurrent urinary tract infections and pyelonephritis.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including those for an enlarged esophagus/esophageal spasms, gout, deviated septum, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, and kidney disease. The decision also notes that further examination is needed to determine if any of these conditions are caused or aggravated by his service-connected panic disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and renal failure, but denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and macular disability.

The Veteran's lung cancer is presumed to be due to exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam, and service connection for this condition is granted. The kidney stones case is remanded as the VA examiner did not address whether they are related to herbicide agent exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions and verifying service personnel records.

The Veteran's hepatitis C with liver fibrosis is rated at 60% since October 29, 2008. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, status post left tympanoplasty/mastoidectomy, status post septoplasty, left adrenal adenoma, bilateral renal cysts, and ulcerated stomach.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's kidney disability is related to his service.

Service connection is granted for hemorrhoids and lumbar spine disability. Service connection is denied for left knee disorder, residuals from a head injury, and hypertension.,The Veteran's kidney conditions were not shown to have been aggravated by service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to new evidence showing that the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type 2, and chronic renal insufficiency have worsened. The Veteran will need to undergo VA examinations to determine the current severity of these conditions before a decision can be made on his TDIU claim.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, which is now considered secondary to service-connected allergic rhinitis. The case of entitlement to compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for kidney disease aggravated by paragraph 30 kidney surgery and the issue of whether service connection for sleep apnea is warranted remain pending and are remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases due to missing records and additional VA examination is needed for both respiratory disease (COPD) and chronic kidney disease.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for colon and kidney disorders due to exposure to Agent Orange. The Veteran was granted service connection for diabetic nephropathy with hypertension, but an addendum opinion is needed regarding his kidney disorder, and a VA examination is required for his claim of a colon disorder.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD and remanded the issue of entitlement to Total Disability due to Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

The issues of service connection for low back strain, joint pain, bilateral chronic knee problems, and mild renal disease are dismissed as moot due to the grant of service connection for joint pain in a previous decision.,Service connection for irritable bowel syndrome is denied because there was no pending claim prior to May 20, 2016.