Kidney disease decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and higher ratings due to insufficient VA opinions regarding etiology and severity of the disabilities, as well as inadequate notice provided to the appellant.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiac disability, kidney disability, bilateral neurological disability of the lower extremities, and bilateral neurological disability of the upper extremities due to a duty to assist error regarding his reported exposure to herbicide agents during service.

The Veteran's renal carcinoma was not incurred in service and is not presumed to have been incurred. The Board found no link between the condition and a service-connected disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, and a kidney disorder as due to herbicide exposure. The evidence did not establish herbicide exposure or a link between the disorders and service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current renal condition is related to his service, specifically in-service fevers. The case will be sent back for an addendum opinion from a clinician.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and remanded the claims for service connection for DM, CKD, and CAD due to insufficient evidence of in-service exposure.

Service connection for diabetes mellitus is granted.,Service connection for kidney condition (including renal calculi) is remanded.,Service connection for bilateral eye condition is remanded.,Service connection for neuropathy of the right upper extremity is remanded.,Service connection for neuropathy of the left upper extremity is remanded.,Service connection for neuropathy of the right lower extremity is remanded.,Service connection for neuropathy of the left lower extremity is remanded.,Service connection for hypertension is remanded.,Service connection for tremors is remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of chronic kidney disease, finding that there is no evidence linking his current condition to his military service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's right and left knee patellofemoral syndrome are each rated at 10 percent, as the evidence does not show more than limitation of motion.,The Veteran's kidney stones are currently rated at 30 percent due to recurrent stone formation requiring diet therapy.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate reasons for denying a higher disability rating for retroperitoneal fibrosis with left kidney removal and stent on the right kidney. The Veteran needs a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected kidney disorder.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for kidney cancer and loss of the left kidney was dismissed due to his death.

The Board has decided to remand the cases due to new evidence being added to the Veteran's file that needs to be considered by the AOJ.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a neurogenic bladder and chronic kidney disease due to inadequate examination opinions. The Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis is alleged as the cause of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's kidney disease was caused by VA treatment or care, including prescribed pain medication and lack of proper monitoring.

The appeal to reopen a claim for service connection for traumatic brain injury based on the receipt of new and material evidence is granted. The claims for service connection for other conditions are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for recurring skin rash, kidney cancer, anemia, and hypertension are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of her conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to his service-connected PTSD, which contributed substantially or materially to his death. The claims for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 and § 1318 are dismissed as moot.

The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, and the Board denied both his claim for service connection for the cause of death and his DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's renal cancer with nephrectomy, which is not a presumptive disease based on exposure to herbicides, may be related to service. However, without an opinion from a VA examiner regarding the etiology of the condition and its relation to his service-connected disabilities or any other factors, the decision cannot be made definitively.

The Veteran's claims for bladder cancer, kidney cancer, hidrocystoma on the scrotum, and rosacea are remanded due to incomplete development related to exposure to herbicides during service.