Kidney disease decisions — 2022

The Veteran's chronic kidney disease is granted as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the claim for service connection for a right knee disability, and the issue of entitlement to service connection for kidney stones are both remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for renal cancer, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his current condition and his military service or exposure to herbicide agents. The Veteran's testimony about exposure during service was not considered sufficient to establish a direct relationship.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension and low back disability due to inadequate examination findings, new evidence required, or need for additional development.

The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus, type II, hypertension, kidney disability, sleep disability, erectile dysfunction, pancreas disability, and acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD and anxiety).

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for testicular cancer and loss of kidney function, effective December 8, 2018.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertension and a bladder condition other than voiding dysfunction, kidney (bladder) stones, and bladder wall thickening have been denied. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to service or any service-connected disability.,VA examinations concluded that the Veteran's current bladder issues are not related to his prostate cancer treatment and are separate from his residual voiding dysfunction.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and kidney disorder as secondary to hypertension due to herbicide agent exposure. The case is being returned for a VA examination and opinion, given new information from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) Update 11 (2018).

The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection, while his chronic kidney disease was denied due to not being related to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a kidney disability, finding that the evidence does not support a causal relationship between his current kidney disease and NSAID use during service.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to determine if the Veteran suffers from cardiovascular renal condition, including functional impairment or syndrome, and whether his service-connected conditions cause or aggravate this condition. The case will be returned for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for gouty arthritis of the right great toe and left ankle, as well as initial compensation for kidney stones, have been dismissed due to his death. The Board has no jurisdiction to proceed with these matters.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the Board denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of his death.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for heart disease and kidney disease, both secondary to PTSD. The VA examiner's opinions are inadequate as they did not use the correct standard for determining aggravation.

The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in the examination reports regarding the Veteran's chronic kidney disease. The matter is being returned for a new VA examination to accurately assess his current condition and determine if it is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for disability ratings and service connection due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is currently rated at 20 percent. The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and evaluation of his service-connected condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for benign scrotal cysts and bilateral kidney cysts, both claimed as due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The VA treatment records from March 2011 to January 2013 are needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected disabilities, specifically spinal fracture and presumed renal cancer with metastasis to bones. The VA is remanded for obtaining additional medical records and providing a clinical opinion on whether the Veteran's death was due to carelessness or negligence from VA.

The Board denied service connection for a kidney disorder and a thyroid disorder, finding that the evidence did not support a link to service or herbicide exposure. The Veteran was granted a TDIU effective January 22, 2014.

The Veteran's kidney/renal disability is being remanded for further examination and evaluation due to the need for additional medical records and a determination of its relationship to service, including herbicide exposure.