Kidney disease decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes and hypertension is granted. Service connection for a blood condition, gastrointestinal condition, and kidney tumor is remanded due to lack of evidence or need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence to determine the severity of the Veteran's pulmonary asbestosis during the period on appeal, and whether it is possible to separate its effects from his non-service-connected renal cancer with metastasis to the lung.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, venous stasis (also claimed as venous reflux disease), heart arrhythmia (atriial fibrillation), left kidney dysfunction, neuropathy of the bilateral hands, and neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities due to Agent Orange exposure. The evidence did not support a finding of in-service herbicide exposure.

The Board is remanding two issues: service connection for a kidney disability and whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for heart condition. The Veteran must be provided with a Statement of the Case regarding these matters.

The Board has determined that the remand is necessary to obtain an adequate medical advisory opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cause of death, specifically whether it was related to his exposure to Agent Orange or Gulf War toxins. The current opinions are insufficient and do not provide a clear determination on these issues.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient consideration of the appellant's contentions regarding the adequacy of the November 2022 VA medical opinion and the need for a medical opinion on whether the Veteran's atherosclerotic heart disease was proximately due or aggravated by his in-service knee injury.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus, a heart disability, kidney disease, and a bilateral eye disability due to insufficient opinions in previous VA examinations.

The Veteran's service connection claim for allergic rhinitis is granted, effective August 10, 2022, under the PACT Act. Service connection for bilateral pes planus and a kidney disorder are denied.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling a new examination to determine the severity of the Veteran's surgical scars, trunk associated with renal cancer. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for kidney stones, finding that there is no evidence to support a direct or secondary relationship between his current condition and his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for kidney failure and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to potential pre-existing conditions that may have existed prior to service.

The Board has granted a separate 10 percent rating for hypertension, but has remanded the issues of entitlement to higher ratings for other service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for PTSD has been granted, effective February 10, 2017. The Board also found that the Veteran's lumbar disorder is service connected and assigned an effective date of February 10, 2017.

The Veteran's asthma is granted on a presumptive basis due to exposure to fine particulate matter in the Southwest Asia theater of operations. Service connection for kidney condition is denied as there is no current diagnosis.

The Veteran's kidney cancer residuals do not meet the criteria for a higher disability evaluation, as there is no evidence of chronic kidney disease with GFR from 30 to 44 mL/min/1.73m2 during any 12-month period.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate medical opinions and failure to substantially comply with prior remand directives.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of a kidney condition, as secondary to cystitis. The case is being sent back for further development and an updated opinion from a VA examiner.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development and medical opinions to address the etiology of the Veteran's claimed high blood pressure and kidney disorder, including consideration of service connection theories and exposure basis.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and chronic kidney condition are granted service connection. The case is remanded for a medical opinion regarding the cause of the chronic kidney condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic kidney disease began during his active duty service and is therefore granted service connection.