Kidney disease decisions — 2020

The Board has determined that the issues of service connection for a heart condition, respiratory disability, diabetes mellitus, type II, left leg amputation, bilateral eye disability, kidney disease, and prostate cancer are inextricably intertwined with the issue of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II. As such, these secondary claims must be remanded to allow for proper adjudication.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection of colon cancer was granted. Service connection for hypertension, kidney stones, left leg disability, right leg blood clots (including swelling and weeping), deep vein thrombosis of the left lower extremity, neuropathy, lung disability, heart disability, sleep apnea, spinal cancer tumor, and stroke were denied.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for chronic kidney disease, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, and peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity due to potential secondary etiology from service-connected hypertension.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right upper extremities, kidney disorder, and sleep apnea due to new evidence submitted since the last final denial.,Service connection is granted for bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy/carpal tunnel syndrome and chronic kidney disease secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and chronic renal disease, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his exposure to herbicide agents during service. Service connection is also granted for chronic renal disease as secondary to hypertension.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the Board denied entitlement to DIC benefits for the cause of his death. Accrued benefits were also denied. Death pension benefits are remanded due to lack of evidence regarding aid and attendance.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of heart murmur, kidney disease, and anemia due to the Veteran's death during the appeal process.

The Veteran's kidney cancer, adrenal gland cancer, and lung cancer have been granted service connection. Service connection for post-surgical scars related to these conditions has also been granted.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to outstanding private treatment records and further examination.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and a VA medical opinion to address whether any diagnosed heart disorder, including cardiomyopathy, is etiologically related to service, to include herbicide agent exposure.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as service-connected. The Board has remanded several other issues for further development and consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's kidney cancer did not manifest during service and is not attributable to service, including as due to herbicide agent exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection for kidney cancer is denied.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a residual injury of the right foot with numbness, and a residual injury of the left foot with numbness. The Veteran did not have any current diagnoses of these conditions at the time of the decision.,The Board also denied service connection for hemorrhoids, kidney stones, residuals of left varicocele, and a cardiac disability (enlarged heart and sinus bradycardia). The Veteran did not have any current diagnoses of these conditions at the time of the decision.

The Board denied service connection for both the Veteran's residuals of acute renal failure and his generalized anxiety disorder as secondary to his residuals of acute renal failure. The decision concluded that there was no causal relationship between the in-service injury and the current conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful activity prior to November 15, 2011.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for kidney failure, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his current condition and his military service.

The Veteran's death was not caused by or related to his service, including any service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for various knee and leg conditions, as well as for service connection for several other conditions, were dismissed because the Veteran did not file a timely substantive appeal.,The Veteran also had claims to reopen denied, but these are not considered in this decision.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions have been denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The Board found that the submitted evidence did not relate to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate any of the claims.