Kidney disease decisions — 2026

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, COPD, diabetes mellitus type II, diabetic neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, OSA, left and right below knee amputations, bilateral lower extremity scars, and CAD as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for Meniere's disease, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, coronary arteriosclerosis, and bilateral lower extremity neuropathy due to service-connected hearing loss. The claims are being remanded because VA did not provide a medical examination in association with these claims, and there is insufficient evidence to support a full grant of the benefit sought.

The Veteran's service-connected obstructive sleep apnea with pulmonary embolism is rated at 50 percent, which is the maximum rating available under current VA regulations.,The Veteran's service-connected nephrolithiasis of both kidneys is currently rated at 10 percent. The condition has not required invasive or non-invasive procedures more than two times per year.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus, which is secondary to his service-connected hypertension and kidney disease. The case was remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 are remanded due to concerns about the adequacy of medical care provided, including delayed diagnosis of hyperaldosteronism.

The Veteran's claims for initial evaluations and TDIU are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic heart failure due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents, but denied service connection for cysts on both kidneys as the evidence does not support a link to service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for various conditions, including heart disorder, DMII, prostate cancer, kidney disorder, hypertension, and essential tremors. The VA examiners did not consider the Veteran's total potential exposures through all applicable military deployments, which includes his exposure as a missile maintenance technician involving solvents, asbestos, petroleum products, and hydraulic fluids.

The Veteran's death was caused by end stage renal disease, which the VA clinician concluded was due to his hypertension. The private clinician opined that the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange in service, along with service-connected PTSD, caused the development of his hypertension and contributed substantially to his end stage renal disease.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating greater than 20 percent for hypertension is denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right leg disability, lung damage, dementia, Parkinson's disease, sleep apnea, kidney disease, diabetes, and vision loss are all denied.,Service connection was not granted for any of the conditions listed.

The Board has remanded the claims for UTIs with kidney stones and BPH, lung cancer, basal cell carcinoma, and dermatophytosis with eczema.,These conditions are being reviewed to determine if they are related to service.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU effective November 10, 2014 due to service-connected PTSD and chronic renal disease preventing him from maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The appeal to reduce the disability rating for papillary renal cell carcinoma from 100% to noncompensable (0%) is dismissed because it does not confer appellate rights.

The Veteran's right shoulder strain and left knee degenerative arthritis were not incurred during service, but the Veteran's gout was found to have begun during service.,Chronic kidney disease is denied as there is no direct evidence linking it to service.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his renal cell cancer is at least as likely as not caused by his exposure to herbicide agents during active service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board denied an increased rating. The other peripheral neuropathy conditions are also rated at their respective levels.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's causes of death, including Agent Orange exposure and contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune. The appellant is free to highlight post-decisional evidence for the benefit of the examiner.

The appeal for an earlier effective date for service connection of renal cell carcinoma and papillary urothelial carcinoma with in-situ component is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of renal cell carcinoma, finding an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence indicating that the condition was incurred in service due to exposure to herbicides like Agent Orange.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for kidney stones and residual foot cold injury has been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for sinusitis (maxillary sinus cyst) is denied, as the evidence does not show three or more incapacitating episodes per year requiring prolonged antibiotic treatment.