Kidney disease Board decisions

The Board found that the veteran's claims were not well-grounded and denied service connection for a low back disorder and kidney and other urinary tract disorders.

The Board found no medical evidence linking the veteran's cause of death to his period of service, and denied the claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for increased rating and service connection is being remanded due to incomplete development of the record, including a need for VA examinations.

The Board dismissed the issue of service connection for kidney stones due to a lack of timely appeal. The claim for an increased rating for sinusitis remains before the Board and is not granted as there is no evidence of severe disability warranting a higher evaluation.

The VA has determined that the veteran's disabilities do not warrant a higher disability evaluation based on current symptomatology.,The VA has determined that the veteran's right foot disability does not warrant a higher disability evaluation based on current symptomatology.,The VA has determined that the veteran's left leg muscle group XI disability does not warrant a higher disability evaluation based on current symptomatology.,The VA has determined that the veteran's thigh, hip, and buttock disability does not warrant a higher disability evaluation based on current symptomatology.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and a kidney disorder, finding that both conditions are related to service. The veteran is also awarded a 10% evaluation for his pilonidal cyst from June 21, 1996.

The Board has found that the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is well grounded. However, due to insufficient evidence of a verified in-service stressor and lack of medical nexus between current symptoms and service, the claims for chronic sinus disorder, chronic kidney disorder, and skin disorder are denied.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly adjudicate the veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and a kidney disorder. The RO must attempt to obtain the veteran's treatment records from the Bryan Dorn VA Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, for the period including September 1993 to November 1994. They should also notify the veteran of potential additional evidence that may exist and advise him to submit such records if they can assist his claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of residuals of a bullet wound to the left side of the body, hypertension, and kidney condition. The evidence submitted since the August 1990 RO decision was not new and material.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there was no competent evidence showing a direct link between the veteran's service-connected conditions and his death.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a right hip disorder and kidney stones, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the right hip claim and noting that there is no competent medical evidence linking current kidney stone conditions to service.

The veteran's disabilities, when considered in combination, result in his inability to care for some of his daily personal needs without regular personal assistance from his spouse. The veteran is not shown to be substantial confined to his dwelling or immediate premises as a result of disabilities.

The Board granted an increased evaluation for chronic renal failure, but denied service connection for diabetes mellitus as secondary to the service-connected chronic renal failure.

The Board found that the veteran's residuals of a fracture of the right mandible met the criteria for a 10% evaluation effective February 17, 1994. The left renal calculus was not productive of any ascertainable residuals and thus warranted a noncompensable rating.

The appeals for kidney disease and right foot osteomyelitis were dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to a decision by the Board.