Diabetes decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and a need for an opinion on the etiology of diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered after these steps are completed.

Service connection for diabetes mellitus is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents. The Board also found that dementia may be related to the service-connected diabetes, but did not assign a specific rating or effective date.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, bilateral eye nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, status post coronary artery bypass with history of myocardial infarction, and skin cancer are denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.,The Veteran was not exposed to herbicide agents during his service on the USS Pictor. Therefore, he cannot establish service connection for any condition based on herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's initial ratings for diabetic nephropathy and erectile dysfunction were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher evaluations.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating due to individual unemployability from January 19, 2010 to September 14, 2014.

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C. The issues of service connection for psoriasis of the liver, diabetes mellitus, deviated nasal septum, and sleep apnea are remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed. The Board has remanded the issues of increased ratings for diabetes mellitus, type II and PTSD with generalized anxiety disorder, as well as the TDIU claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. However, his claims for tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and prostatitis were denied as there is no direct or presumptive link between these conditions and his military service.,Tinnitus was denied because the Veteran's current diagnosis could not be linked to in-service noise exposure, and the VA examiner found that the condition more likely than not did not have a relationship with his military service.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to August 30, 2016 is granted as his service-connected disabilities meet the schedular criteria and render him unable to engage in substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD. The remaining claims of service connection for multiple joint arthritis, bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus type II, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and organic impotence are remanded due to outstanding VA treatment records.

The Board denied service connection for left shoulder and right thigh disabilities, sarcoidosis, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. The Board found that the current symptoms are not related to any documented event or injury in active service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding herbicide agent exposure and a medical opinion on whether PTSD caused or aggravated the gastrointestinal disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, and bilateral knee disability. The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is presumed to have started in 2007 during active duty. His hypertension was also found to be related to his military service. The bilateral knee disability is believed to have begun during service when the Veteran fell from a truck.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for erectile dysfunction and hypertension due to potential in-service onset.,Service connection for TB, DM II as secondary to TB, gout as secondary to DM II, and cardiomyopathy are denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) due to new evidence submitted. The claims are remanded for further development regarding exposure to Agent Orange and verification of in-service stressors.

The Board has remanded the claims for prostate cancer, skin cancer, type II diabetes mellitus, and hypertension due to potential exposure to herbicide agents and/or toxins in Okinawa. Further action is needed to verify such exposure and a VA examination is required to assess the current severity of the Veteran's hypertension.

The Veteran's appeal regarding the effective date of November 18, 2011 for service connection of coronary heart disease and his claim for a combined rating in excess of 60 percent were denied. The decision also noted that he had previously been granted separate ratings for other conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to new allegations of herbicide exposure in Thailand, and requests further development of the Veteran's service records and any relevant reports.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, as it is unclear when he was first diagnosed with these conditions and there are insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The examiner will need to provide updated opinions based on new records from Dr. G.G.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus was reopened due to new evidence showing exposure to herbicide agents. However, the Board found no credible evidence of such exposure and denied service connection.