Diabetes decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II (DMII) and migraine headaches due to insufficient evidence in the record.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for a determination regarding substitution as the appellant. The issues will be reconsidered with the new status of the claimant.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for fallen arches with callosities, eye disorder, hypertension, and DMII has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence.,Service connection is granted for gout/arthritis and denied for diabetes mellitus type II (DMII).

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and diabetes, prevent him from maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as new and material evidence was not received.,Service connection is granted for tinnitus, but the Veteran did not provide sufficient evidence to establish a link between his current condition and service.,Service connection for dermatitis or eczema (claimed as dermatitis) is dismissed as already granted in a previous rating decision.,The Veteran's claims for stage IV prostate cancer with obstructive nephropathy, multiple myeloma, and type 2 diabetes mellitus are all granted due to exposure to Agent Orange during service.,Service connection is granted for multiple myeloma due to exposure to Agent Orange.,Service connection is granted for type 2 diabetes mellitus due to exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for diabetes, type II due to herbicide exposure and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, major depression, and an anxiety disorder), as well as increased ratings for right arm disabilities. The VA is instructed to verify the Veteran's claimed in-service Agent Orange exposure and schedule him for a VA examination to assess his current disability levels.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, bilateral eye injury, and dental condition due to lack of new and material evidence.,Service connection was also denied for congestive heart failure, hypertension, kidney condition, and acquired psychiatric disorder (MDD and PTSD) as the Veteran's conditions were not related to his military service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus and hypertension have been denied as there is no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides, the conditions are not related to service or any service-connected disability, and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that they began during active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction, finding that it was not related to his service or any service-connected conditions. The decision also remanded the issue of a rating in excess of 20 percent disabling prior to October 31, 2014, and in excess of 60 percent thereafter for service connected residuals of prostate cancer.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development and lack of consideration of certain factors related to herbicide exposure and service connection for cause of death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back pain, left hip pain, prostate cancer with incontinence, and diabetes mellitus due to inadequate examinations. The Veteran served as a fire truck mechanic during his military service.

The Board has denied service connection for thyroid cancer due to ionizing radiation exposure and diabetes mellitus secondary to thyroid cancer. The case is being remanded for further examination and analysis.

The Veteran's claim for hypertension, secondary to PTSD, depressive disorder, diabetes mellitus, or medications taken for those conditions, has been reopened and remanded.,The Veteran's claim for seizure disorder remains denied as new and material evidence was not received.,Left ear hearing loss is rated at 0 percent effective May 20, 2014. The issue of an earlier effective date is remanded.,Diabetes mellitus is currently rated at 20 percent and the Veteran's request for a higher rating remains denied.,PTSD, depressive disorder, sleep disorder, coronary artery disease, hypertension (secondary to PTSD, depressive disorder, diabetes mellitus, or medications taken for those conditions), acid reflux (secondary to PTSD, depressive disorder, or diabetes mellitus), and erectile dysfunction (secondary to PTSD, depressive disorder, or diabetes mellitus) are all remanded.,The Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for left ear hearing loss is also remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death and for service-connected burial benefits due to a lack of VA medical opinion regarding the nature of the Veteran's cause of death, as well as incomplete records. The appellant is asked to provide additional information and/or evidence pertinent to these claims.

The Veteran's right femur fracture residuals are not related to active service or any incident of service, including as due to his service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity.,The Veteran’s coronary artery disease is manifested by a left ventricular ejection fraction of 65 percent and does not warrant a disability rating greater than 30 percent.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the listed conditions have been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal in January 2017.

The Board has dismissed all claims due to the death of the Veteran's widow, as her appeal is no longer in a jurisdictional state.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus with peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his active military service, and is not shown to be caused or aggravated by the service-connected hypertension. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection for tinnitus. The remaining issues of service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus, type II are being remanded.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is not warranted as the Veteran does not have a current disability that meets VA's definition of hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for emphysema, diabetes mellitus, type II, erectile dysfunction, and dementia, Alzheimer’s type, is granted.,Service connection for tinnitus was denied. The Veteran is not entitled to an initial disability rating higher than 10 percent.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was granted but with a non-compensable initial disability rating.