Kidney disease decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's psychiatric disability is related to his military service. The kidney disability claim remains denied as there is no evidence linking it to service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for gastroesophageal reflux disease, prostate condition, kidney condition, and hypertension due to exposure in and around Fort McClellan. The AOJ is required to attempt to corroborate all of the Veteran's contended exposures, including those off base in Anniston.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for renal carcinoma was denied, and the appeal is now denied. The Veteran's hypertension case has been remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of acquired psychiatric disability, nerve damage to the bowel, and nerve damage to the kidneys as secondary to prostate cancer. The appeal was not granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a kidney disorder, linked to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and examination.

The Veteran's liver disease, including hepatitis C, is granted as service connected.,The Veteran's kidney disease is also granted as secondary to his liver disease.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal of his kidney disability claim as there was no allegation of error in the May 2019 decision, which denied service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a procedural error in denying the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection of kidney disability. The issue is now to be reconsidered with proper application of relevant regulations.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for kidney cancer, diabetes mellitus, and prostate cancer due to potential exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam. Additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's submarines were within twelve nautical miles of mainland Vietnam during their service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's heart conditions, as well as to address whether any of his service-connected disabilities or medications caused or aggravated these conditions. The claims for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, chronic kidney disease and chronic renal cysts, left wrist condition, and left hip arthritis remain denied.

The Board denied service connection for chronic kidney disease, attributing it to the Veteran's military service. The evidence did not support a link between his in-service exposure to Agent Orange and his current condition.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left foot disabilities, bilateral eye disability, sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction, bilateral kidney disability, and bilateral lung disability. Service connection is denied for muscle spasms.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death is related to his military service, including presumed herbicide exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities as secondary to diabetes, diabetic cataracts as secondary to diabetes, kidney disease as secondary to diabetes, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to diabetes. The Board found that there was no evidence of in-service incurrence or relation to service.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes, skin condition, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, IBS, left shoulder pain, right shoulder pain, left knee pain, right knee pain, left hand pain, left arm pain, lower back pain, and bilateral toe conditions have all been denied. The Board has also remanded the issues of service connection for an upper respiratory disorder, diastolic heart failure (claimed as heart condition), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

The Veteran's service-connected kidney disease with hypertension is currently rated at 80 percent effective December 7, 2015. The Board has ordered a remand to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the condition markedly decreased function of kidney or other organ systems, especially cardiovascular.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, finding that the Veteran's conditions had their onset during his military service. The Board also remanded the issue of hypertension to allow for a VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected multiple myeloma caused or aggravated his disability manifested by clostridium difficile. The cause of the Veteran's death is not related to active service, but he had other disabilities that were not related to service.

The Board has remanded several issues related to HIV and its secondary effects, including renal disability, neuropathy in multiple extremities, cellulitis, and right ear hearing loss. The Veteran's service connection for these conditions is being reviewed due to new evidence.

The Veteran's tinnitus, hypertension, and renal cell carcinoma are all granted as service-connected. The Veteran is also found to have met the income and net worth requirements for non-service-connected pension benefits.