Diabetes decisions — 2015

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to withdraw his appeal for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus. The Board also determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen his claim of service connection for status post basal cell carcinoma of the left cheek, which is related to presumed exposure to Agent Orange during service.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is rated at 40 percent for the entire rating period. The Board also granted a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess his employability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's initial rating for type II diabetes mellitus is currently 20 percent, and the Board has ordered a remand to determine if he requires restrictions on strenuous activities due to his diabetes.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including scheduling a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge from the Board.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities are currently rated at 10 percent each, with no higher ratings granted.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is service-connected due to herbicide exposure in Thailand. His peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities is also service-connected as secondary to his diabetes. The Board finds that he meets the criteria for TDIU.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II was first diagnosed during service and is considered to have started in service, granting the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination and issuance of an SOC.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities and diabetes mellitus with retinopathy are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, Parkinson's disease, tinnitus, and diabetes, are sufficiently severe to preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran seeks a TDIU rating due to his service-connected disabilities, including diabetes mellitus and its complications. The RO has determined that the preliminary schedular criteria for assignment of a TDIU rating are met, but an addendum opinion is needed from the examiner who conducted the VA examination in June 2013 to assess whether the Veteran's combined disabilities prevent him from securing or maintaining all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, impotence, and loss of vision due to lack of a current diagnosis in some cases or failure to establish a link between the conditions and service.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is related to his exposure to herbicides during service in Korea. As a result, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus, type II, were not incurred or aggravated in service. The evidence did not support a finding of exposure to herbicides during his service in Thailand.

The Board found that the Veteran's currently diagnosed diabetes mellitus, type II is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found no evidence of chronicity in service or continuity since for the claimed conditions, and thus denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension and peripheral neuropathy, are pending. The claim for left ear hearing loss is denied. Service connection for high cholesterol is not warranted as it does not constitute a recognized disability.