Kidney disease Board decisions

The Board has determined that there is insufficient medical evidence to determine whether the veteran's diabetes and/or coronary artery disease contributed substantially or materially to his death from liver disease. The case is being remanded for further development.

The Board found that the veteran's cryoglobulinemia with renal insufficiency (nephritis) was not incurred in or aggravated by service and may not otherwise be presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to benefits pursuant to 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for heart disease and hypertension as a result of treatment with Darvon at VA medical facility in July 1970, and for additional disability involving kidney disorder due to VA treatment between 1992 and 1995. The Board found that the veteran's conditions were not related to the alleged exposure or treatment.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and providing the veteran with VA examinations to determine the nature, extent, and etiology of his kidney disorder and back disability. The claims will be re-adjudicated after this additional development.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for renal calculi and a compensable rating for GERD. The veteran was granted service connection for GERD, but with a non-compensable rating.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding no evidence linking his death to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and left adrenalectomy residuals, as well as his increased rating for PTSD and separate compensable disability rating for erectile dysfunction. The issues of entitlement to an increased rating for diabetes mellitus are REMANDED.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been presented to reopen claims for service connection for a urinary tract/kidney disorder, pulmonary tuberculosis, gastric ulcer, dysentery, or malaria. The claim for an increased rating for malaria was also denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's kidney cancer, which contributed to his death, was presumed to have been incurred in service due to exposure to ionizing radiation during nuclear testing. As a result, service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is granted.

The Board found no current disability of the kidneys or bowels and concluded that there is insufficient evidence to link any identified bowel or kidney issues to VA treatment. The claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was denied.

The veteran died of lung cancer, which was not service-connected. The Board denied DIC benefits under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The veteran's GBS and congenital horseshoe kidney residuals were granted initial compensable ratings, with the effective dates being determined based on the specific issues.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to lack of evidence linking any of his medically established causes of death (cardiovascular-renal disease) to military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left shoulder disorder and chronic ureterolithiasis (kidney stones) as there is no competent evidence of a nexus to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis, hypertension, anemia, dizziness, general weakness, residuals of malaria, and kidney disability. The Board found that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated during military service.

The Board has denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there is no medical evidence linking his psychiatric disability or any other service-connected condition to his death from renal carcinoma.

The Board granted the veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his service-connected diabetes mellitus and residuals of left shoulder injury, status-post reconstructive surgery. The veteran was also awarded a separate rating for his scar secondary to the left shoulder injury. Additionally, the Board found that the veteran's kidney disease and pneumonia are service connected.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether service-connected leg conditions caused or aggravated the veteran's death from multiple organ failure, including peripheral vascular disease.

The veteran's claim for service connection for amyloidosis with renal failure and hypertension is being remanded due to uncertainty about his eligibility for the presumptive service connection based on herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The case will be reviewed after obtaining the veteran's service personnel records and a VA examination.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions were not incurred or aggravated by service and denied his claims for service connection. The tinea pedis was rated as noncompensable under the old criteria.