Kidney disease decisions — 2024

The Veteran's renal cell carcinoma, along with its associated right and left lower extremity peripheral edema, has been granted service connection effective September 1, 2015.,Effective September 1, 2015, the Veteran is also entitled to an earlier effective date for his service-connected right and left lower extremity peripheral edema.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and there is no evidence of exposure to herbicides. The Board denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's kidney condition and tinnitus (ears ringing) claims are remanded due to incomplete records and inadequate medical opinions.,The VA examiner failed to address all theories of entitlement, including the relationship between the Veteran's SCT and his hematuria.

The Board has decided to remand the claim for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to a reasonable possibility that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities could prevent him from securing or maintaining gainful employment prior to May 12, 2020.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD and emphysema due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The VA examiner is requested to review the Veteran's STRs, lay statements, and provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that his COPD and emphysema had its onset during or is otherwise related to in-service bronchitis.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for a kidney disability due to new and relevant evidence. The Veteran's TDIU and SMC based on need for aid and attendance or housebound status claims are also remanded.

An earlier effective date of March 23, 2022, but no earlier, is granted for the awards of service connection for AAA, tremors, chronic kidney disease, and ED.,The Veteran's initial rating for service-connected chronic kidney disease is now 30 percent, but no higher.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for chronic renal disease and hypertensive heart disease, which the Board has accepted. As a result, these claims are dismissed.

The Veteran's renal cell carcinoma is remanded for further evaluation due to conflicting opinions on its etiology.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render her unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, leading to the grant of TDIU.

The Veteran's right renal infarcts associated with right renal artery thrombosis is being remanded for further development to determine if it is secondary to his service-connected hypertension.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic renal disease as secondary to the Veteran's already service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. The decision is based on medical evidence that suggests a causal relationship between the Veteran's diabetes and his chronic kidney disease.

The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable disability rating for hypertension, service connection for chronic kidney disease, and service connection for s/p right nephrectomy have all been denied. The denial is based on the lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and service or any related exposure.

The Veteran's GERD and malignant neoplasm of the kidney were not found to be related to his service-connected prostate cancer/adenocarcinoma of the prostate, status-post (s/p) radical prostatectomy.,Service connection was denied for both conditions as they are not considered secondary to the service-connected condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for multiple myeloma and kidney failure due to inadequate verification of herbicide exposure during the Veteran's military service.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and private treatment records are inadequate for adjudication purposes. Therefore, the claims of entitlement to initial compensable ratings for residuals of renal cell carcinoma and left kidney removal, as well as TDIU, are being remanded to obtain missing records and conduct additional evaluations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for kidney cancer as there was no current diagnosis of the condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for renal cancer is being remanded due to the need for a VA medical opinion on whether his condition was proximately caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes and hypertension.

The appeal for service connection for kidney disease is dismissed. The claim for service connection for bladder cancer, secondary to prostate cancer, is denied.

The Board has determined that the VA examination provided was inadequate and remands the case for a new examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's restless leg syndrome, including whether it is proximately due to or aggravated by any service-connected conditions.