Diabetes decisions — 2014

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and headaches as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. Other claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hypertension as secondary to diabetes mellitus has been dismissed due to the appellant withdrawing the appeal.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II is being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for various disabilities and assigned initial ratings, but denied the petition to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disorder.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is being remanded for further examination and opinion to determine its relationship to his service-connected conditions, if any.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and multiple peripheral neuropathies, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment since October 5, 2009. The Board has granted a TDIU effective from October 6, 2009.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the Veteran's periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA), as well as any associated service treatment records. The VA will also schedule examinations to assess the current status of his claimed conditions, including hearing loss, tinnitus, sinusitis, low back disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, diabetes, and lower intestinal disorder.

The Board found that the weight of evidence is against a finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's sleep apnea began during his military service, was directly caused by his military service, or is secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. As such, the criteria for service connection have not been met and the claim is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a supplemental statement of the case and proper identification of documents in the Virtual VA claims file.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities have been denied. The Board found that the current rating adequately reflects the severity of his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus requires daily insulin and a restricted diet, but does not warrant an increased rating as there is no evidence of restrictions on activities or frequent hospitalizations due to hypoglycemic reactions or ketoacidosis.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is characterized by requiring insulin, restricted diet, and regulation of activities. A 40 percent rating for diabetes mellitus type 1 is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including verification of his exposure to Agent Orange and a VA examination to determine the etiology of his diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an incomplete review of records, particularly those from prior to December 2005. The Veteran's spouse contends that his service-connected psychiatric disorders caused or aggravated his diabetes. The VA needs to obtain a new opinion on whether the medications used for his psychiatric conditions have any effect on his diabetes.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of peripheral neuropathy and eye disability due to withdrawal by the Veteran.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, right hip disability, and left hip disability, finding that these conditions are related to his active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess his ability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted service connection, and the Board finds that he meets the criteria for this diagnosis based on his reported stressors. The issue of hypertension is not addressed in the provided text.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an adequate VA medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death, specifically addressing whether diabetes mellitus contributed substantially or materially to his death.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II is denied. The Board found that no earlier effective date is warranted as the criteria were not met prior to September 26, 2007.