Kidney disease decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for cause of death and burial benefits due to potential herbicide exposure during service. The Veteran's cause of death was listed as unspecified natural causes, with contributory heart, renal, and vascular diseases. A TERA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicides and whether there is a nexus between his conditions and this exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected heart disability, including valvular heart disease, atrial fibrillation, right bundle branch block and aortic root aneurism, is granted as due to herbicide agent exposure. Service connection for chronic kidney disease, gastrointestinal disability, low back disability, and left knee disability are also granted.

The Veteran's service connection for chronic kidney disease secondary to diabetes mellitus type II was granted with an effective date of February 15, 2017. The initial rating assigned is 20 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and prostate cancer, prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted a TDIU based on these conditions. Service connection for sleep apnea is remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding its relationship to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.

The Board has granted an effective date of March 13, 2020, for the award of a 100 percent rating for renal cell carcinoma. The earliest date as of which it is factually ascertainable that the Veteran's service-connected kidney disability underwent an increase in disability was March 13, 2020.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of October 28, 2019 for the award of service connection for chronic renal disease (claimed as chronic kidney disease) is granted. The Board found that this date was when entitlement to service connection arose due to evidence showing a relationship between the Veteran's diabetes and his chronic renal disease.

Service connection is granted for low back disorder.,Service connection is denied for PTSD and bilateral kidney condition, upper left and right extremity neuropathy, lower left and right extremity neuropathy, as well as left and right eye conditions.,The appeal for service connection for heart condition and diabetes mellitus type II is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for chronic kidney disease and service connection for a stroke are remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The VA must obtain new, adequate examinations.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, stating he is satisfied with his overall VA disability rating and does not wish to proceed further.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically regarding an inadequate VA opinion on the etiology of chronic kidney disease. The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus are being considered as potential causes or aggravators.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic kidney disease (claimed as kidney infection) has been dismissed. The Board also remanded the issue of a compensable disability rating for acute glomerulonephritis with chronic kidney disease.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further rating and service connection determinations.,No effective date earlier than November 20, 2019, was granted for the grant of service connection for right knee strain.

Your kidney cancer claim has been dismissed because the AOJ is still working on it and hasn't issued a final decision yet.

The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetic nephropathy, chronic kidney disease, and rheumatoid arthritis have been granted. The claim for rheumatoid arthritis is remanded due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of kidney stones was denied as the earliest possible effective date is November 19, 2019.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus type II and its secondary effects. The appeal is now closed due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no legal authority to adjudicate the merits of the claims at this time.

The Veteran's claim for hepatitis C is denied as the evidence does not support a service connection.,The Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is denied as there is no diagnosis of PTSD and the medical records do not indicate its onset in service or relate it to any injury or illness during active duty.,The Veteran's claim for cervical spinal stenosis is denied as there is no evidence showing a current condition related to his military service.,The Veteran's claim for kidney condition, to include hydronephrosis, is denied as the medical records do not indicate that it was caused by an event or illness during active duty and is not secondary to any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's chronic kidney disease with left kidney, radical nephrectomy with renal mass was granted an 80 percent rating from January 31, 2016, to April 3, 2021.

The Veteran's cause of death is granted presumptively due to herbicide exposure, specifically Agent Orange. Accrued benefits are denied as no claim was pending at the time of his death.