Kidney disease decisions — 2022

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete private treatment records and an inadequate nexus opinion. The Veteran's kidney stones need to be evaluated for manifestation within a year of discharge from service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension, residuals of a stroke, and chronic kidney disease due to inadequate medical opinions addressing their etiology.

The Veteran's representative withdrew his appeals for service connection for ischemic heart disease, cystic kidney disease, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities during a hearing before the Board.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as the appeal is moot due to his death. The Board lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that neither his adrenal cortical cancer nor metastatic lung cancer were caused by or aggravated by service. The underlying primary adrenal cancer was not among those diseases presumed due to herbicide exposure.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petitions to reopen his claims for service connection for various conditions, including liver damage, sleep apnea, ischemic heart disease, DM, spleen damage, kidney condition, and asthma, all related to hazardous chemical exposure, including asbestos exposure.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for toenail and fingernail disorders have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his claims during a Board hearing.,Service connection has been granted for bilateral hearing loss, with no effective date provided.

The Board has remanded the claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to receipt of additional VA clinical documentation that was not initially considered.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension, a heart disorder, a kidney disorder, and a right eye disorder due to incomplete records and inadequate medical opinions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus, to include neuropathy and other complications is granted. The cause of death due to the Veteran's diabetes mellitus is also granted. SMC based on need for aid and attendance is granted. Claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings are remanded.

The Veteran's renal cell carcinoma is granted service connection, and the effective date for a 10 percent rating for his duodenal ulcer remains December 2, 2016.

The Board has granted service connection for renal cell carcinoma residuals status postoperative left nephrectomy, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to concerns about the adequacy of the January 2020 VA examiner's opinion regarding the Veteran's sleep apnea and kidney disability. The Board found that the examination was adequate in addressing the Veteran's individual circumstances, including his obesity, but did not specifically discuss his in-service respiratory complaints.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a respiratory disability and residuals of removal of the mandibular gland and uvula, all related to exposure at Camp Lejeune. Service connection was not granted for BCC, melanoma, kidney stones, GERD, or hypogonadism.

The Veteran's kidney disease is not service-connected.,The Veteran's gout is not service-connected and was not found to be secondary to his kidney disease.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims due to insufficient evidence and the need for additional VA examinations.

The claim to reopen the matter of service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral feet has been denied. The claims for substitution purposes regarding kidney condition, diabetes mellitus, and respiratory condition (COPD) have been remanded.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal. The Veteran's asthma with sleep apnea has not met the criteria for higher ratings.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for kidney stones and kidney cysts, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his exposure at Camp Lejeune. The Board also noted that the Veteran's kidney-related disabilities did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection due to contaminated water exposure.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence of in-service exposure to Agent Orange and that the Veteran's conditions did not have their onset or manifest within one year of discharge. The Board also found that the Veteran's conditions were not otherwise causally related to his military service.