Kidney disease Board decisions

The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected hiatal hernia, duodenal ulcer and chronic cholecystitis contributed substantially and materially to his cause of death from adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. The private medical opinion provided in 1992 supports this finding.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for kidney cancer, status-post left nephrectomy and partial right nephrectomy. The Veteran submitted new evidence suggesting a link between his kidney cancer and exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. A VA examination is needed to determine if this exposure caused his kidney cancer.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for cause of death due to lack of new and material evidence, including the Appellant's lay assertions that her husband's diabetes was related to his military service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's kidney disorder is not related to his in-service herbicide exposure and is not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected coronary artery disease. As such, the claim for service connection for kidney disease is denied.

The Board finds that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's reported in-service exposure to environmental hazards during his service in the southwest Asia theater of operations caused or contributed to his current kidney disorder. The Veteran contends this exposure caused his condition, but a VA clinician opined against this claim based on medical literature.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine the current level of impairment due to service-connected kidney stones and an opinion from the C&P Director regarding whether the Veteran meets criteria for an extra-schedular rating. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with these issues.

The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be sepsis syndrome with underlying causes including coagulopathy, respiratory failure, and severe metabolic acidosis. The Board found no evidence of herbicide exposure or service-connected conditions that caused the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's service-connected right kidney injury with persistent hematuria has caused the requirement of regular dialysis for several times a week, meeting the criteria for a 100 percent rating for renal dysfunction.

The Veteran's cystic kidney disease was granted an initial noncompensable rating, but a compensable rating of 30% is assigned. Service connection for PTSD and major depressive disorder was also granted.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and providing a VA examination to determine if any current back or right leg disability is related to service.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant. As a result, no further action will be taken on this case.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for PTSD and denied CUE in a September 2008 rating decision regarding kidney disease. The case is remanded to issue a Statement of the Case on the CUE claim.

The Board found that the Veteran's kidney disability did not preexist service and is not otherwise etiologically related to active service. The Veteran's current back disability was not shown to have had its onset during active service, nor were symptoms of the condition chronic or continuous since service separation.

The Veteran's right renal cell carcinoma was not shown to be related to his active service, including exposure to herbicides in Vietnam. The Board found that the cancer is not among the enumerated conditions for which presumptive service connection may be established based on herbicide exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertensive vascular disease, chronic liver disease, and a kidney disorder including proteinuria as these conditions are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's respiratory, renal, and hypertension disabilities were not caused or aggravated by military service or by service-connected diabetes mellitus or coronary artery disease. The claims are denied.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for vision problems, sinusitis, dental disease, high cholesterol, headaches, and renal failure.

The Board denied service connection for lupus and kidney disorder, finding no evidence of pre-service or in-service onset. The Veteran's claims were not based on herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for an etiological opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death, specifically whether his exposure to jet fuel emissions caused or aggravated his renal cell cancer and/or lung cancer.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's neck disorder, residuals of head injury (left arm weakness and headaches), lung disorder, kidney disorder, and lumbar spine disorder are all service-connected. The decision is granted for these conditions.