Kidney disease decisions — 2020

The appeal regarding service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic kidney disease, and type II diabetes mellitus is dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for tinea versicolor and kidney cancer due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The Veteran needs further examination to determine if his conditions are related to service, including potential exposure to herbicides or asbestos.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining VA treatment records, scheduling an examination to assess PFB severity, and issuing a statement of the case for the remaining issues.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy was reopened and granted.,The claims of entitlement to service connection for right knee condition, bowel condition, erectile dysfunction, and kidney condition were denied.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for acute myeloid leukemia, constipation, impaired kidney function, and impotence due to inaction by the AOJ regarding substitution.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's cause of death and its relation to service or herbicide exposure. The VA needs to provide a new opinion on whether the Veteran’s renal and bladder cancer are related to service or herbicide exposure, and if so, whether they contributed to his death.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of hypertension and kidney disease due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the timing and nature of his exposure to herbicides, as well as incomplete treatment records. The AOJ is instructed to verify proximity to Vietnam and obtain pertinent VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's exposure to organic solvents, specifically diesel fuel, caused his multiple myeloma.

The Board has determined that the Veteran failed to attend his scheduled VA examinations and has provided good cause for missing them. As such, new VA examinations are necessary to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions.

The claim to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for subarachnoid hemorrhage, seizures (claimed as a single seizure), and suprarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm is remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.

The Veteran's hypertension, toenail infections of the bilateral feet, and skin disorder are service-connected. The Veteran's erectile dysfunction, prostate disability, and kidney stones are not service-connected.

The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be from multiple conditions, but the Board is remanding the case for further development regarding service connection and exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to potential herbicide exposure in Thailand, as transitional cell carcinoma and post-operative residuals of bladder cancer are not listed as presumptively associated with Agent Orange exposure. The Veteran's personal records indicate he was exposed to herbicides during his deployment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for enlarged prostate, fibroadenosis of breasts (claimed as bilateral breast cysts or nodules), kidney cysts, and heart disease due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The VA is required to provide a VA opinion regarding the etiology of these disabilities.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for chronic kidney disease with edema and hypertension, so the claim is dismissed.

The Veteran's renal cancer status post right nephrectomy and rectal cancer with residuals are being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and arranging for a VA clinician to provide opinions on the relationship of these conditions to his service, herbicide exposure, and diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran served in the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of the Republic of Vietnam, which could affect their claims for service connection. The appeals are being remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases due to the need for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration medical records that may substantiate a nexus between the Veteran's renal failure and neurogenic bladder secondary to hypertension.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his cause of death, finding that renal cancer was not related to service, herbicide exposure, or service-connected conditions.