Kidney disease Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability.,VA awarded death pension benefits to the Appellant, as she met income and net worth requirements.

The Board finds that the Veteran's son, D.T., is not entitled to recognition as a helpless child of the Veteran due to his permanent incapacity for self-support prior to attaining age 18. The evidence does not establish that D.T.'s ADHD and other conditions render him permanently incapable of self-support.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for kidney disability, heart disability, and sleep apnea are being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining VA treatment records, confirming dates of Reserve service, scheduling VA examinations, and adjudicating the issue of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen a previously disallowed claim of hypertension.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and finds that his acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, is related to service. The decision grants service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder but denies hypertension, kidney stones, low back disability, and cysts on the neck and ears.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an opinion from a VA podiatrist regarding the Veteran's right foot disability and scheduling him for a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected kidney stone disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for any of the claimed conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, erectile dysfunction, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, kidney disorder, and polyneuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities. The claims are denied.

The Board has granted service connection for a cognitive disability, diagnosed as cognitive disorder not otherwise specified (NOS), based on the Veteran's exposure to mercury in service and her reported symptoms.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability has been granted, rendering the issue moot. The case is being remanded for further development of his increased rating claim for kidney disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for heart disease, residuals of gallstone surgery, hypertension, kidney condition, left knee disability, and prostate condition. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was found to be incurred or aggravated in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including pneumonia and respiratory failure, substantially contributed to his death by causing or contributing to his cause of death: pneumonia and renal failure.

The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the right tonsil with metastasis to the right cervical lymph nodes is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to his military service. His renal insufficiency is also not service-connected as secondary to his treatment for tonsillar cancer, as there is no direct service connection established.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and a renal condition are mixed. The appeal is based on presumed exposure to herbicides during his Vietnam service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral shin splints and urolithiasis were not incurred or aggravated by service, with the exception of the urolithiasis being related to hypertension medication. The claims are denied.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is presumed to have been incurred during active duty. The Board finds that the Veteran was exposed to herbicides in Vietnam and grants service connection for ischemic heart disease as a result of such exposure.

The Board has found new and material evidence for the claims of service connection for a low back disability, kidney disability, headaches, and hypertension. The Veteran's current disabilities are not due to active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's fatal metastatic renal cell carcinoma was caused by his presumed exposure to herbicides, specifically Agent Orange. As a result, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and development of evidence, including consideration of Social Security Administration records and private treatment from Dr. Collins.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to scheduling issues for a BVA videoconference hearing. The claims of service connection, effective date determinations, and special monthly compensation are all pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule him for a hearing before the Board at his local office. The claims of service connection for hypertension, kidney disability, and bilateral knee disability are still pending.

The VA determined that the Veteran's renal insufficiency and left kidney nephrectomy are not service-connected, and it was found that diabetes mellitus type II did not aggravate these conditions.