Diabetes decisions — 2015

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including eczema, anxiety disorder, diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease of the lower extremities (left and right), peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, and peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, are found to be disabling enough to prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. As such, he is granted a TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a personal hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board has remanded the case for an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus or IHD, and if so, whether this aggravation is permanent.

The Veteran's service connection claims for residuals of a shell fragment wound to the left arm and diabetes, including as due to exposure to Agent Orange (AO) and/or chemicals, asbestos, or mustard gas, are granted.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were not shown to be related to service, including exposure to herbicides or other chemicals. The claims are therefore denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss disability was not granted, as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus was also denied due to the maximum schedular rating already assigned.

The Veteran's DM II with related complications, including erectile dysfunction, peripheral vascular disease of the lower extremities, onychomycosis and bilateral cataracts, is currently rated at 20 percent. The ratings for left and right lower extremity neuropathy are also denied.

The Veteran does not have type II diabetes mellitus that is the result of disease or injury incurred in service, and it may not be presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic kidney stone disability, hypertension, and basal cell carcinoma are not service-connected.,There is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and active service or herbicide exposure.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was received within the appeal period, allowing for a reopening of the claim of service connection for asbestosis. The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is presumed to be due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. His diabetic nephropathy is also presumed to be related to his diabetes. However, there is no indication that his right knee disability is service-connected.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of diabetes or glaucoma, and the left shoulder and neck disorders are not related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type I and a disability manifested by chronic fatigue and diarrhea, finding that these conditions are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is presumed to be service-connected due to herbicide exposure. The issue of hypertension, including as due to herbicide exposure and diabetes mellitus, remains pending.

The appeal is being remanded to obtain VA treatment records and to schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to assess his psychiatric disorder, right shoulder tendonitis, diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction, and right knee disability.

The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus type II and/or PTSD due to additional evidence received from the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea and diabetes mellitus are service connected, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development to address the residuals of small intestine resection with scarred duodenal bulb, including pancreatitis and a tender laparotomy scar. The claim will also be readjudicated to include service connection for diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, including as due to Agent Orange exposure and/or PTSD, is being remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (diabetes insipidus and pitting edema) have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's combined disability rating from service-connected conditions is 80%, which meets the threshold for a TDIU. However, his service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.