Kidney disease decisions — 2024

The Veteran's TDIU and SMC claims are dismissed as moot because he has already been granted SMC based on additional service-connected disabilities independently ratable at 60 percent or more.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left side kidney tumor (claimed as kidney cancer) is granted, but the case is remanded due to a need for an examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's renal cell carcinoma is related to his military service, including herbicide exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and renal failure as secondary to diabetes due to a lack of evidence showing exposure to herbicide agents during service, and because there is no direct or secondary service connection established.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him wheelchair bound and in need of nursing home care, regular aid and attendance to prepare his meals, assist with bathing and hygiene needs, and manage medication. The Board has granted special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance but dismissed the claim for special monthly compensation at the housebound rate as moot.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's kidney disability, including a lack of an adequate VA examination. The claim will be reconsidered with consideration of direct service connection and the combined effects of toxic exposures.

Service connection for kidney cancer and fibromyalgia, including joint pain due to an undiagnosed illness which progressed to seronegative spondyloarthritis, is granted with effective dates. A higher initial rating for major depressive disorder is denied.

The Veteran's chronic kidney disease is caused by his service-connected hypertension, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition. The claims for aortic aneurysm, cerebrovascular small vessel disease, emphysema, and COPD are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's chronic kidney disease was caused or aggravated by his service-connected GERD and/or medications.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for residuals of kidney cancer, finding that his current disability is related to his presumed herbicide agent exposure during his service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral shin splints, and kidney stones have been denied. The Board found no current diagnosis of any acquired psychiatric disorder or bilateral shin splints at any time during the pendency of the claim. For kidney stones, the evidence did not show their onset in service or be related to a disease or injury incurred in service.,The Veteran reported symptoms such as anxiety and shin splints while in service but no formal diagnoses were made. Post-service treatment records also lacked relevant findings. The Board concluded that there was insufficient evidence linking any current conditions to military service.

The Board has granted service connection for ulcers, but the issue of service connection for kidney condition is remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board denied service connection for kidney cancer, finding that the evidence did not support a link to military service or radiation exposure.

The Veteran's kidney stones are rated as hydronephrosis, but the evidence does not show recurrent stone formation requiring more than two invasive or non-invasive procedures per year. Therefore, a compensable rating for kidney stones is denied.

The Board has denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to a lack of evidence showing that his acute renal failure, chronic renal failure, and chronic right heart failure were incurred in or related to his period of active duty.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of CKD was denied.,The Veteran's request for a higher initial rating for CKD was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case for obtaining private treatment records from Dr. Patel, and denied both the initial disability rating claim and the effective date claim.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of a VA kidney examination, which is necessary to determine if the Veteran's chronic kidney disease is related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, right carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), left CTS, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, a kidney disorder, and right ear hearing loss. The Board found that there was no evidence of in-service incurrence or continuity of symptomatology related to these conditions.

The appeal for an effective date prior to May 7, 2022 for the grant of service connection for end stage renal disease and hypertension has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.