Kidney disease decisions — 2023

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, kidney disease, and a lung disorder. The conditions are presumed to be related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.

The Veteran's left knee surgical scars are denied as they do not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.,Rosacea, hypertension, and kidney cysts service connection claims are remanded due to inadequate opinions in the November 2021 VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic kidney disease was granted with an effective date of May 17, 2007. He received initial noncompensable evaluations from May 17, 2007 to April 25, 2011 and initial 30 percent evaluations from April 26, 2011 to December 26, 2016 for chronic kidney disease.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic kidney infections need further examination and opinion to determine their etiology, as the current medical evidence is insufficient. The case is therefore being remanded for this purpose.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of June 24, 2021 for the grant of service connection for chronic kidney disease (claimed as hypertensive nephropathy) as secondary to service-connected hypertension.

The Veteran's death was not related to service-connected disability, and he did not meet the criteria for DIC or survivor pension benefits. The Appellant also does not qualify for accrued benefits due to a lack of pending claims at the time of her husband's death.

The Board has dismissed the claim for service connection for nephropathy, to include chronic renal disease due to a pending substitution request. The claim for nonservice-connected survivor's pension benefits was denied as the Appellant's income exceeded the maximum annual pension rate. The cause of death issue is remanded due to incomplete medical records.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient opinions regarding exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and Persian Gulf toxins. The Veteran's ureter cancer and kidney cancer are being reviewed, but liver cancer is also inextricably intertwined with these issues.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining a VA medical opinion regarding the cause of death and whether peptic ulcer is related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea and its relationship to his service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for accrued benefits due to the need to address intertwined issues and review the appellant's DIC claim, including a potential PACT Act presumption for liver cancer.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for lumbar spine DDD, hypertension, heart disability (claimed as a heart attack and stent), gastrointestinal disorder (IBS), and skin cancer due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including schizophrenia and personality disorder, as there was no evidence of such disorders during or within one year after service. The Veteran's current diagnoses are not related to his military service.,Service connection for a kidney disorder was also denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service.

The Veteran's lumbar spine and right shoulder disabilities are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's liver condition is remanded for further evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a kidney disability, finding no current diagnosis and insufficient evidence to establish a link between his in-service exposure and any present condition.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for COPD, tuberculosis, benign mediastinal lymphadenopathy, renal mass/cyst, and osteoporosis due to additional VA treatment records being added to the file.

The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the loss of the right kidney and an incisional hernia following a nephrectomy due to insufficient evidence showing that VA's failure to timely diagnose or treat the conditions caused additional disability.,No new evidence was presented, nor did the Veteran provide sufficient medical expertise to support his claims.

The Veteran's claims for compensation for kidney and heart diseases are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding whether VA care caused these conditions.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of April 10, 2018 for service connection for kidney disease. However, the issue of entitlement to TDIU based solely on kidney disease is remanded as it is intertwined with the rating assigned for kidney disease.

The Veteran's chronic renal disease is rated at an initial 80 percent effective November 27, 2019.