Kidney disease decisions — 2020

The Veteran's kidney and bladder cancer residuals were granted service connection effective December 27, 2013. The increased initial staged ratings for the disabilities are being remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development and readjudication due to inadequate medical opinions regarding his sickle cell disease.

The Board has dismissed all appeals for service connection due to the Veteran's death. No effective date or rating was assigned.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's cervical spine disability and kidney disorder are service-connected, but his left ear hearing loss and lumbar spine disability have been remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for kidney cancer and removal due to a lack of a causal link provided by the VA examiner. The Veteran's disability is being reviewed again with the expectation that a new examination will provide a more detailed explanation.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for residuals of chronic appendicitis and chronic kidney disease, as well as the claim for cause of death. The appellant is seeking service connection for these conditions based on their relationship to the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's claims for chronic kidney disease and hypertension are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding their etiology. The service connection is sought based on presumed exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has dismissed all the veteran's appeals for various disabilities, including cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, left knee disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis with heel spurs and metatarsalgia, posterior thigh muscle (left thigh disability), hypertension, inguinal hernia, kidney stones, and generalized anxiety disorder. The appeals were withdrawn by the veteran's representative on September 21, 2020.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a cardiac disability, including coronary artery disease (CAD), is granted. The claims for hypertension and kidney disability are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding their etiology. The claim for residuals of a stroke is also remanded. The claim for an aortic aneurysm remains pending.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for additional development regarding service connection for kidney disease and obstructive uropathy (claimed as chronic UTI). The Veteran's claims are being returned due to a need for an addendum opinion from the April 2020 examiner.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a disability manifested by blood in urine, to include a kidney disability; a right thigh disability; and a respiratory disorder due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran is required to provide new medical opinions on these issues.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed visits to Saigon, Vietnam. The underlying claim for diabetes mellitus, type II, will be considered in conjunction with these other conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at a higher initial rating of 70 percent, effective from the date of the grant of service connection. The Veteran's kidney disability is granted a higher rating of 60 percent effective December 19, 2019.

The Veteran's kidney cancer was granted service connection on a presumptive basis for exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, effective March 14, 2017. The claim for an earlier effective date is denied as it would be precluded by law.

The Veteran's kidney cancer is denied as not related to his active service, including any asbestos exposure. The Board found no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure and his current kidney cancer diagnosis.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic kidney disease as secondary to his service-connected bladder cancer, which was caused by exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) effective November 18, 2009. He also receives additional SMC benefits for need of aid and attendance and housebound status.

The Board has decided to remand several claims, including those for increased ratings and service connection. The Veteran needs new VA examinations due to worsening symptoms of his lumbar spine disability and radiculopathy, as well as a medical opinion regarding his erectile dysfunction and renal failure.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete verification of herbicide/pesticide exposure in Fort Knox, Kentucky from October 1966 to December 1966. The AOJ is instructed to make reasonable efforts to obtain this information and provide it to the Veteran.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a kidney disorder, finding that there was no evidence of chronic disability in service or within the applicable presumptive period. The Board also found that the current kidney disorder is not related to an in-service injury, event, or disease and is not aggravated by a service-connected condition.