Diabetes decisions — 2011

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus has been productive of fluctuating blood sugar levels that require insulin, restricted diet, and limited activities due to hypoglycemic symptoms. The Board finds the criteria for a 40 percent evaluation have been met.

The Veteran's skin disease, including psoriasis and a benign tumor or tumors, was not found to be related to service-connected right below-the-knee amputation. Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, vascular disease (exclusive of peripheral vascular disease of the right lower extremity), arthritis of the cervical and lumbar spine, and kidney failure were all determined to be unrelated to military service or service-connected conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder disorder, diabetes mellitus, and WPW syndrome. The claims for diabetes mellitus and WPW syndrome were also not reopened.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus as due to herbicide exposure, finding that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure in service and insufficient evidence linking the current condition to service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal with respect to the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, anxiety disorder, depression, a heart condition, and hypertension.

The Veteran's renal disease, diagnosed as diabetic nephrosclerosis, is at least as likely as not secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus and warrants a separate compensable rating.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain alone does not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus and cataracts have been rated appropriately, with the diabetes receiving a 20 percent rating and cataracts receiving a noncompensable disability rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for Type I and Type II diabetes mellitus have been granted as secondary to his pre-existing type I diabetes mellitus. The Board found that the Veteran's current diagnoses of both types of diabetes are related to his active military service.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus was denied as the evidence did not show that his activities were regulated specifically to treat diabetes mellitus.,Service connection for peripheral vascular disease was also denied because there is no medical evidence showing the presence of this condition.

The Veteran's diabetes was granted service connection effective October 20, 2006, with a rating of 40 percent.,Coronary artery disease was granted service connection effective May 10, 2006, with a rating of 100 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA examination to assess the severity of his hypertension and determine if diabetes is related to service or his heart disability.

The Board granted service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and assigned a noncompensable evaluation. The Veteran's claims of increased evaluations for hemorrhoids, an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for Type II diabetes mellitus, and service connection for right thigh sarcoma residuals were denied.

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, type II, and a right leg condition were denied as there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has requested a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's diabetes mellitus is caused or aggravated by her service-connected major depressive disorder with PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus and shell fragment wound of the left foot with fracture of the left 5th metatarsal were denied, while his claim for TDIU was not addressed due to a procedural issue.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is rated at 40 percent, the maximum available rating.,The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine is rated at 30 percent based on limitation of motion.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities, prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has remanded the case for further examination to determine if his unemployability is due to his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates were denied. The Board found that the diabetes mellitus did not warrant an evaluation in excess of 20 percent, as it only required a restricted diet and insulin.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his claims, including a VA examination to determine the etiology of any current DM.