Diabetes decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the claims due to a lack of an adequate and timely VA Form 9 in response to the November 2015 Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's type 2 diabetes and related diabetic retinopathy are granted as service-connected.,An initial rating of 50 percent for bilateral pes planus is granted.,Service connection for right knee, left knee, and right ankle disabilities is denied due to prior final decisions.

The Veteran's cerebrovascular accident, claimed as a stroke, is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to his service-connected diabetes and coronary artery disease.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death prior to a final decision. The issues of severance of service connection and secondary service connection for erectile dysfunction have become moot.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not cause him to be unable to secure or maintain a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation by reason of being housebound was denied because none of his service-connected disabilities are rated as 100 percent disabling independently, and the threshold schedular requirement for housebound under any theory is not met.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inconclusive response regarding the Veteran's dates of active Federal service, specifically during his time in Panama Canal in 1989 or 1990. The Veteran needs to provide any documents that could verify whether he was on a period of ACDUTRA or INACDUTRA.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and hypertension as the Veteran did not provide sufficient evidence of herbicide exposure during his service in Korea.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis for PTSD from March 13, 2009 to May 4, 2010 due to his inability to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment as a result of his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus type II, lumbar spine disability, bilateral knee disability, and an acquired psychological disorder (including PTSD and depression) are all granted. The Veteran is also granted a compensable rating for his right ear hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's service connection claim for muscular dystrophy was reopened and granted.,The Veteran's service connection claim for diabetes mellitus type 2 is remanded.

The Veteran is granted a 40 percent rating for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic nerve in both lower extremities, effective November 5, 2014. Prior to this date, his symptoms did not warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss was denied in October 2003 and is now being reopened, but new evidence does not support the claim.,Service connection for diabetes mellitus has been denied as there is no evidence linking it to military service.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus and granted it on a presumptive basis due to herbicide exposure while stationed in Thailand.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypercholesterolemia has been denied as it does not constitute a disability for VA benefits purposes.,New and material evidence having been received, the claims for hypertension and alcoholism have both been reopened. Service connection is granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD (depression and/or mood disorder), migraine headaches, and sleep apnea on secondary basis to service-connected conditions.,The Veteran's joint pain, coronary artery disease, diabetes, eye disorder, glaucoma, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, respiratory disorder (asthma), liver disorder, kidney disorder, erectile dysfunction, residuals of TBI, restless leg syndrome, GERD, and other issues have been remanded for further review.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as the evidence did not show these conditions were related to a period of active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus, type II with related conditions was dismissed as he withdrew his appeal in a November 2018 statement.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to April 25, 2013 for the grant of Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) is denied as there was no factual basis that he was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities prior to that date.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted, as he meets the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's death was caused by sepsis, with diabetes mellitus contributing substantially to his death. The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.