Kidney disease decisions — 2020

The Board dismissed all claims for service connection due to the Veteran's death.

Service connection is granted for tinnitus and denied for kidney disorder. Bilateral hearing loss remains under review.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted as service-connected.,Service connection for sleep apnea is denied.,Service connection for kidney cancer is denied.,Service connection for head scar is denied.,Major depressive disorder is granted as service-connected.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his in-service exposure to hazardous chemicals, and thus service connection is denied.

The Board denied service connection for abdominal lipoma, left lateral scalp lipoma, and left kidney tumor as there is no medical evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty service.,A rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus was also denied.

The Veteran's renal cancer was granted service connection due to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. The rating for the resection of sigmoid colon remains at 20 percent, and the ratings for peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities remain at 10 percent.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for gall bladder disorder, kidney disorder, erectile dysfunction, prostate disorder, and hypertension, all of which were not found to be related to active service or exposure to herbicides.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 and service connection for the cause of his death due to end-stage renal disease, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for adrenal insufficiency, finding that the Veteran's condition was not caused by VA medical treatment and there was no evidence of carelessness, negligence, or fault on the part of VA.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not prevent him from securing or following any substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for liver failure, hepatitis C, hypertension, kidney cysts, vision loss, memory loss, bone density loss, osteoporosis, and low back disability are all denied. The claim for service connection for liver failure is reopened due to new evidence submitted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for gastrointestinal, kidney, liver, bladder/gallbladder, prostate, and hemorrhoids disabilities due to exposure at Camp Lejeune. The VA is instructed to obtain additional medical opinions addressing the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for colon adenocarcinoma and kidney cancer due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents. The VA medical opinions provided were inadequate, and new opinions are needed to determine if these conditions are at least as likely as not related to the appellant's presumed exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of kidney cancer, finding that there is no evidence linking his current condition to his in-service exposure to Agent Orange or any other service-related factors. The Board also noted that the Veteran was diagnosed with renal carcinoma only in 2012 and did not have active cancer at the time of his separation from service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus, pituitary tumors (claimed as tumors of the head and neck), and kidney stones due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.,Service connection was not granted for any of the conditions on a direct basis or based on presumptive service connection.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations for hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and kidney disease are inadequate. The Veteran's conditions may be related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus but not necessarily due to Agent Orange exposure. Therefore, an additional examination is required to determine the etiology of these disabilities.

The Veteran's cause of death, renal cancer, is determined to be due to his in-service exposure to Agent Orange. The Board granted service connection for the cause of death based on new medical evidence that supports a link between Agent Orange exposure and renal cancer.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for chronic kidney disease with hypertension (claimed as hypertension) is denied for the period from September 7, 2011 to February 18, 2019. The evidence does not meet the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 60 percent under Diagnostic Code 7541.

The Veteran's OSA is granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The kidney cancer claim is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of bilateral hearing loss has been granted, effective August 14, 2018.,Service connection for ischemic heart disease is granted based on new evidence.