Kidney disease decisions — 2022

The Veteran's kidney disability, renal failure and stage 5 kidney disease are being remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to his service-connected bladder cancer or due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp LeJeune.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error regarding the Veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The VA needs to provide an addendum medical opinion to determine if any of the conditions listed contributed to the Veteran's death and are related to his service at Camp Lejeune.

The Board denied effective dates prior to January 15, 2014 for the awards of service connection for various diabetic conditions and end stage renal disease due to herbicide exposure in Thailand.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2 and kidney cysts (cystic kidney disease), finding no current diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, type 2, and noting that the Veteran's kidney cysts are a congenital defect with no superimposed pathology due to disease or injury in service.

The Board has found that remand directives have not been substantially complied with and thus, an additional remand is warranted for further development of the Veteran's exposure claims.

The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation, hypertension, gastrointestinal disorder, and any kidney disorder are remanded due to inadequate VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including lumbar spine condition, BPH, lupus, hypothyroidism, hypertension, pulmonary disorder, and kidney condition. The decision also granted TDIU.

The Board has determined that there is not sufficient evidence to establish a connection between the Veteran's renal toxicity and exposure to contaminated water at Camp LeJeune, or as secondary to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's death was caused by septic shock, which was related to his underlying conditions of ascending colitis and renal cell carcinoma. The Board found that the fatal renal cell carcinoma may have been caused by exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, residuals of a kidney transplant, bilateral retinopathy, and bilateral below the knee amputation have been granted. The case is remanded for further development regarding the remaining issues.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in duty to assist, including failing to obtain private treatment records and not considering evidence of right kidney cancer.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to herbicide agent exposure during active service in Korea, finding that there was no evidence linking the fatal conditions to active service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates are being remanded due to procedural issues. The Board will issue a Statement of the Case (SOC) in response to these claims.

The Veteran's kidney and liver cancers are granted service connection as they are presumed to be related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's cause of death, including whether his psychiatric disability contributed to his death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including verifying his exposure to herbicide agents and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) while stationed at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama.

The Veteran's ESRD is being remanded due to multiple pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, including the need for SSA disability records and private treatment records from Baylor University and FMC Irving Dialysis. An addendum VA medical opinion is also needed regarding the likely etiology of his kidney disease.

The Board has denied service connection for left and right testicle conditions, as well as other issues including a stomach condition, migraine headaches, eye condition, foot condition, and right shoulder condition. The case is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted on a presumptive basis under the PACT Act. His diabetes mellitus, type II with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy of the left eye, peripheral neuropathy affecting multiple extremities, and diabetic chronic kidney disease are all granted or remanded as appropriate.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction and renal disease due to a pre-decisional error in not obtaining a VA medical opinion and examination on the etiology of these disabilities. The Veteran contends that his disabilities are related to herbicide exposure during active service.