Diabetes decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including upper extremity peripheral neuropathy and diabetes mellitus type II. The Veteran is also being asked to provide VA treatment records and undergo examinations for his PTSD and diabetes.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for torqued sacrum associated with osteoarthritis of lumbar spine and hammertoes. The effective date claim for major depressive disorder remains denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including gout, a respiratory disorder, hypertension, kidney disorder, diabetes mellitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (bipolar disorder), and obesity. The remand requires additional development to address potential radiation exposure during service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for heart disability, diabetes mellitus, and psychiatric disability due to secondary service connection. The rating for hypertension prior to June 9, 2014, and renal disease with hypertension as of June 9, 2014, is also being remanded. Additionally, the TDIU claim is being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for erectile dysfunction was denied, and his claim for a TDIU was granted. The Board found that the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable due to PTSD, ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities, and erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's TBI and its residuals, including migraine headaches, were granted service connection effective February 20, 2014. Diabetes mellitus type II was also granted as secondary to PTSD, with specific disabilities listed.

The Board has denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and has remanded the issues of service connection for chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a headache disability, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran must undergo further examinations to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the VA examination reports are inadequate for adjudicative purposes regarding the claim for entitlement to service connection for IBS. The Veteran's IBS is remanded and an additional VA medical opinion must be obtained.

The Board has determined that the issues of service connection for a right eye disability, erectile dysfunction, hypertensive heart disease, diabetes mellitus (claimed as due to herbicide agent exposure), and a skin disability (claimed as due to herbicide agent exposure) need further development. The Veteran's claims will be remanded for additional evidence.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions, including ischemic heart disease, diabetes, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, a bilateral eye condition, and hypertension, all as not being related to his military service or exposure to herbicide agents.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and coronary artery disease, have prevented him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment since November 30, 2006. The Board has granted a TDIU effective that date.

The Veteran's service-connected heart disease is rated at 100 percent effective February 12, 2017 and for three months thereafter. SMC housebound benefits are granted from February 12, 2017 to May 31, 2017.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease with ischemic cardiomyopathy are granted as service connected due to herbicide exposure during his active military service in Korea.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to outstanding service treatment records and the need for additional medical opinions regarding his respiratory disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, and bilateral peripheral neuropathy.

The Board denied the petition to reopen the claim for service connection for cause of death due to lack of new and material evidence, as the submitted evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2 due to herbicide exposure and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to diabetes mellitus type 2, finding no evidence of herbicide exposure in service or a nexus between the conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a higher evaluation of diabetes mellitus, type II, with erectile dysfunction is denied.,Service connection for diabetic nephropathy (claimed as renal dysfunction secondary to diabetes mellitus) is denied. The evidence does not show that the Veteran’s nephropathy is due to or caused by his service-connected diabetes mellitus and it did not manifest within one year of separation from active duty service.,Service connection for diabetic retinopathy (claimed as bilateral eye disorder secondary to diabetes mellitus) is denied. The objective medical evidence does not show that the Veteran has a current disability of diabetic retinopathy.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected traumatic brain injury substantially or materially contributed to his fatal intracerebral hemorrhage, and therefore grants service connection for the cause of death.

The Veteran's tinnitus and heart murmur are granted service connection, but his diabetes mellitus type II is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the Veteran's esophageal cancer and its relation to service, including herbicide exposure. The VA clinician is requested to provide an opinion on whether the esophageal cancer is related to service.