Kidney disease decisions — 2022

The Veteran's renal cell carcinoma is found to be aggravated by exposure to herbicide agents during active service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has dismissed all claims for service connection due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that new evidence submitted by the Veteran since the last denial of service connection for intestinal disability, prostate cancer, kidney disease, COPD, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, anxiety disorder, headache disability, and left shoulder disability warrants a remand to obtain additional medical opinions regarding these issues.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for intestinal disability, prostate cancer, kidney disease, COPD, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, anxiety disorder, headache disability, and left shoulder disability are being remanded due to the submission of new evidence that is relevant to the issues on appeal.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a kidney condition is dismissed because the Veteran elected to have this issue considered under the modernized appeal system (AMA).

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II; kidney disorder; left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy; and cataracts are remanded due to the absence of a current disability diagnosis.

The Veteran's claims for hypertension and an acquired psychiatric disorder have been reopened, with the latter being recharacterized as a claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability to include anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Service connection has been granted for tinnitus.,Service connection is remanded for various conditions including hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety, depression, PTSD), sleep apnea, prostate disability due to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, a skin condition of the stomach, head disability (headaches), coronary artery disease, strokes, enlarged kidney due to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, both hands locking up, gout of the right and left foot, knot under the right cheek, sea sickness, and sleep disorder.

The Board is remanding the Veteran's claims for payment or reimbursement of medical expenses related to his renal cancer treatment from October 30, 2017 to December 27, 2017 due to incomplete documentation and inextricably intertwined issues.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and chronic kidney disease have been reopened due to new evidence. The Board has ordered additional development to confirm the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam.

The Board denied service connection for kidney cancer, attributing it to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam. The claim was remanded due to conflicting opinions regarding the etiology of the condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient verification of herbicide exposure and incomplete development. The cause of death claim will be reconsidered with additional evidence.

The Veteran's right-sided nephroureterectomy due to T1 high grade TCC of the kidney and T2 TCC of the distal ureter is granted as related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral tinnitus, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, a heart condition, depression, and diabetes mellitus type II. The evidence did not establish that these conditions were related to his military service.

The Board has decided that additional development is needed before deciding if the Veteran's chronic renal disease contributed to his death, which was caused by sepsis with COVID-19 pneumonitis and other conditions.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for chloracne, jungle rot, and renal stenosis were denied as there was no evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by his military service. The Board found that the Veteran did not have any diagnosed skin disorders (chloracne or jungle rot) during service or within one year after separation, nor could he establish exposure to herbicide agents/Agent Orange in Vietnam.

The Veteran's chronic kidney disease is caused by his service-connected hypertension. The Board has granted the claim for service connection for chronic kidney disease, secondary to service-connected hypertension.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his hepatitis C, which originated during active service, caused or contributed to his fatal renal disability.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus is being remanded due to the Board not providing sufficient reasons and bases for its reliance on the June 2018 VA examination regarding complications from his diabetes, specifically decreased kidney function and cardiovascular problems.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination regarding the Veteran's kidney disability, specifically chronic kidney disease and kidney stones. The examiner was directed to consider the Veteran's statements about developing a kidney stone during deployment in Iraq.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of renal cell carcinoma due to exposure to Agent Orange, finding that there is no causal link between his current disability and his active service.

Service connection is granted for diabetes mellitus, type II and coronary artery disease. Service connection is also granted for chronic kidney disease, right eye diabetic retinopathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to service-connected diabetes. Service connection is granted for congestive heart failure as secondary to coronary artery disease. The case is remanded for additional opinions on toxic optic neuropathy with altitudinal visual field defect and a heart disorder other than coronary artery disease.