Kidney disease decisions — 2020

The Veteran's kidney cancer, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy are all granted service connection due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral renal cell carcinoma is related to exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic kidney disease and thoracic aortic aneurysm, both claimed as due to presumed in-service herbicide exposure. The decision is based on the Veteran's active duty service in Vietnam.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA examination and opinion, requiring further development and consideration of service connection for renal cell carcinoma.

The Veteran is granted entitlement to SMC at the rate authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 1114(l) from November 29, 2008 due to his service-connected benign pituitary adenoma with diabetes mellitus and adrenal insufficiency.,The Veteran is also granted entitlement to SMC at the rate authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 1114(o) from January 8, 2009 as he has two of the rates provided in subsection (l) without considering the same condition twice.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for kidney cyst removal is dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim for service connection for a kidney condition is granted. The issue of entitlement to service connection for schizophrenia is remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death is related to his military service, and therefore grants service connection for the cause of death.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claims for service connection for renal neoplasm, bilateral renal cysts, and hypertension due to herbicide exposure. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his military service.,Service connection was also denied for erectile dysfunction as secondary to hypertension.

The Board denied service connection for kidney cysts, finding that the Veteran's current condition is not related to his in-service exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE). The evidence does not support a nexus between the Veteran's TCE exposure and his diagnosed kidney cysts.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's conditions, including CAD, hypertension, kidney/renal disorders, and eye disorders. The effective date for service connection will be determined based on the new evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for stroke, seizures, kidney disorder, and bladder disorder due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether these conditions are related to service. The VA examiner is asked to provide more thorough findings on the etiology of these disorders.

The Veteran's renal cell carcinoma with chronic kidney disease is related to his military service and granted service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examination for bilateral hearing loss. The kidney cancer service connection is granted based on herbicide agent exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and hypertension have been granted. Service connection has also been established for left lower extremity neuropathy, right lower extremity neuropathy, kidney disorder, and right great toe amputation as secondary to his now service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Veteran's claim for chronic renal disease and tinnitus was reopened due to new evidence, and both conditions were granted service connection. An effective date of May 7, 2014, is assigned for the grant of service connection for other specified depressive disorder with short duration depressive episodes.

The Veteran's kidney condition was not incurred in service and is denied as the evidence does not establish exposure to herbicides or any other in-service incurrence of a disease. Service connection cannot be established on a secondary basis because neither diabetes nor hypertension are connected to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic kidney disease, finding that there is no causal relationship between his exposure to asbestos during service and his current condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for heart disorder, gastroparesis, kidney disorder, and hypertension. The evidence did not support a current diagnosis of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for coronary artery disease, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and a bowel disorder due to potential exposure during service. The claim for SMC for aid and attendance of another is also remanded.