Kidney disease decisions — 2026

The Board denied service connection for hyperlipidemia, renal cell carcinoma of the left kidney, and hypertension. The Veteran's claims were based on exposure to fuel-contaminated water and fumes during his military service, but no causal link was established between these exposures and the conditions.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including acquired psychiatric disabilities, bilateral hearing loss, headaches, right shoulder disability, residuals of bronchitis, kidney pain, and testicular pain. The Veteran's claims were not supported by current medical evidence or a link to his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory condition and remanded the issue of service connection for kidney disability, which is secondary to his service-connected renal calculi.

The Veteran's attorney requested the issue of entitlement to service connection for renal impairment be withdrawn, and the Board agreed. The appeal is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for chronic kidney disease is remanded due to the VA's incorrect determination that there was no association between his herbicide exposure and his condition. The case requires a medical examination and opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's chronic kidney disease and his active service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection and other claims have been dismissed due to his death.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for various disability ratings and service connection claims due to untimely filings.

The Veteran's service-connected kidney cancer and hearing loss have precluded him from securing or following any substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU rating.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for various conditions, including kidney stones, shoulder injuries, foot and ankle issues, and back problems. The Board dismissed the appeal due to the withdrawal.

The Veteran's claimed conditions, including kidney stones, chronic kidney disease, microscopic hematuria, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and hydrocele, were not shown to have originated during active service. The Board denied the claim for service connection as there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and active duty.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including congestive heart failure, obstructive sleep apnea, depressive disorder, chronic kidney disease, and partial amputation of fingers with ankylosis in the right hand, prevented him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment. The Board granted TDIU based on these conditions.

The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 were not met.

Your appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The claims for service connection have not been decided.

The Veteran's ambulance transportation on July 26, 2025 was for treatment of a condition that was emergency in nature and VA facilities were not feasibly available. The Veteran is financially liable to the provider of the emergency ambulance transportation and does not have coverage under a health-plan contract that would fully extinguish the medical liability for the emergency ambulance transportation. Therefore, payment for unauthorized, emergency ambulance transportation service on July 26, 2025 is warranted.

The Veteran's appeal for higher evaluations and service connection for various conditions, including lung cancer presumed due to exposure in Thailand under the PACT Act, was granted. Effective dates were assigned for service connection and other claims.

The Board has found new and relevant evidence for the claim of service connection for kidney disease, which is now remanded. The issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is also remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II and related conditions have been granted initial disability ratings, effective December 9, 2014. The appeal for earlier effective dates is denied.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on three conditions (chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, and essential hypertension) has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for hypertension and chronic kidney disorder (CKD) due to incomplete medical records and inadequate VA examination opinions. The Veteran will need to provide additional medical evidence, including treatment records from Vista Imaging, and a new VA examination is required.

The Board has determined that there were duty to assist errors and remands the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and an adequate VA medical opinion.