Kidney disease Board decisions

The Board has ordered additional development to address whether the Veteran's service-connected diabetes contributed to his cause of death and acute renal failure.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining service treatment records and VA treatment records.

The Veteran's initial and staged ratings for renal cell carcinoma have been granted, with a 30 percent rating effective September 23, 2003. The issue of a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied. The Board has remanded the case to obtain additional medical records and to schedule the Veteran for VA examinations.

The Veteran is granted benefits for loss of a paired organ due to his right kidney transplant and removal of the left kidney. The effective date remains October 11, 2005.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension and kidney disorder are not related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, and thus denied both claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a kidney disorder and to reopen his claim of service connection for COPD, finding that there was no current diagnosed disability and insufficient evidence linking any claimed conditions to service.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations conducted are inadequate and requires further development of evidence, including obtaining medical records from various sources and conducting new VA examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD contributed to his death, which was caused by cardiac ischemia. The Board found that the PTSD aggravated his pre-existing medical conditions and ultimately led to his death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied as the evidence does not support a finding that his claimed conditions are related to his active duty or to any service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's kidney disease was not found to be related to his military service, including malaria and treatment with quinine.

The Veteran's death is being reviewed for service connection, DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, and DEA under 38 U.S.C.A., Chapter 35.

The Veteran's left renal cell carcinoma was not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may it be presumed to have resulted from exposure to herbicide agents. The Board denied the claim for PTSD as there is no evidence of a verified stressor and the current diagnosis does not meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations to assess the severity of the appellant's service-connected disabilities and his need for regular aid and attendance.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current chronic kidney disease is at least as likely as not caused by her service-connected knee disabilities, specifically the adverse reaction to aspirin taken for pain in those knees. The decision grants service connection on a secondary basis.

The Board found that the cause of the Veteran's death (asystole due to congestive heart failure) did not develop during his active service and was not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability. The Veteran had been service-connected for PTSD, but this condition was not considered the principal or contributory cause of death.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause his death and played no substantial or material part in it, leading to a denial of the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and renal disease associated with diabetes mellitus, finding no evidence of herbicide exposure or a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claim for payment of unauthorized medical treatment provided at St. Mary's Medical Center from February 24, 2007, to March 21, 2007, should be granted due to the recent amendments to section 1725 of the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2008.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for renal tuberculosis and hypertension have been denied as the evidence does not support a higher rating based on current symptomatology.