Diabetes decisions — 2018

The Veteran is seeking compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for a disability due to an alleged delay in the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. The case has been remanded for further development, including a VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and diabetic neuropathy, as well as his requests for increased ratings for eczema and pseudofolliculitis barbae, and a TDIU rating. The basic eligibility for nonservice-connected Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pension benefits claim was also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his ability to work.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, particularly his PTSD, effectively preclude all forms of substantially gainful employment and grants a TDIU.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and is considering whether new evidence supports reopening of the claim for coronary artery disease. The Veteran contends he was exposed to herbicides while serving aboard the USS Hitchiti, which participated in salvage missions that took it into inland waterways of Vietnam.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's cause of death, including his diabetes mellitus, was related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to his request for withdrawal prior to the Board's decision.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for his claimed conditions, finding that there is no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents and insufficient medical evidence to support a diagnosis of PTSD.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction is rated at 20 percent prior to July 25, 2016 and 40 percent thereafter. The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities are each rated at 20 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea began during military service and is related to his service-connected conditions. Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's CAD is related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents, and the Board finds that service connection for CAD is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain clarification on the dates of his Reserve service and to provide addendum opinions regarding the etiology of his bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, and frostbite residuals.

The Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus, type II and service connection for swollen feet as secondary to diabetes have been denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support granting these increased ratings or service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities are being remanded due to a lack of a VA examination addressing these issues. The examiner is requested to provide an opinion on whether the conditions are related to military service or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to a TDIU.

The Veteran is granted a 40 percent disability rating for residuals of prostate cancer from September 1, 2011. The appeal for higher ratings and TDIU are denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment prior to November 10, 2015.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and diabetes mellitus type II was denied. The Board found no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents, which is required for presumptive service connection under the Agent Orange Act. For PTSD, there were no verified stressors and the onset of symptoms occurred decades after separation from service.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II due to the presumption of herbicide exposure not being rebutted. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated as 80% effective March 21, 2017.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.