Diabetes decisions — 2020

The Veteran is granted entitlement to SMC at the rate authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 1114(l) from November 29, 2008 due to his service-connected benign pituitary adenoma with diabetes mellitus and adrenal insufficiency.,The Veteran is also granted entitlement to SMC at the rate authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 1114(o) from January 8, 2009 as he has two of the rates provided in subsection (l) without considering the same condition twice.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records from private providers and VA, including a copy of the Goldman eye chart used for his October 2019 VA examination.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient verification of herbicide exposure. The Veteran must provide a more specific time frame and location for his claimed exposure.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus has been denied.,Service connection for DMII and a heart condition have been granted, with the effective date being April 18, 2018.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea has been denied.,An effective date prior to April 18, 2018 for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is denied due to lack of evidence within one year of separation from service.

The Board has granted a separate compensable disability rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's penile deformity with loss of erectile power associated with his diabetes mellitus type II, but denied an increased rating for diabetes mellitus type II.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claim for diabetes mellitus must be remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error and the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been withdrawn. The Board has also denied his claim for bilateral hearing loss and granted his claim for a head scar. The remaining issues, including arthritis of the right wrist, right shoulder rotator entrapment, bilateral foot pain, head trauma, diabetes mellitus, numbness in hands (secondary to diabetes), and hemorrhoids, have been remanded.

The Board has remanded the claim for a new VA examination to determine the severity of the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, as well as to provide retrospective opinions on its severity from July 24, 2005 to June 7, 2016. The appellant is seeking an increased rating for service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for Diabetes Mellitus, Type II and Erectile Dysfunction as secondary to DM. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service disease or injury related to these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to March 14, 2019.

The Board has denied service connection for type II diabetes mellitus (DM2) and remanded the right knee disorder claim. The DM2 claim is denied due to lack of evidence linking it to service, while the right knee disorder claim is sent back for further examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to environmental toxins while stationed at Fort McClellan, Alabama. The Veteran is seeking service connection for diabetes mellitus and claims it is related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents or other toxins.

The Veteran was granted compensation for type 2 diabetes, which the Board found to have been caused by an error in judgement on the part of VA personnel who administered steroid injections without adequately informing him about potential risks.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied. The issue of service connection for diabetes mellitus (diabetes) secondary to herbicide agent exposure is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for Parkinson's disease, diabetes mellitus, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are all denied. The Board found that the current conditions do not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection due to exposure at Camp Lejeune.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a heart disability, thyroid disability, diabetes mellitus, bone loss, and a rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative joint disease of the right shoulder. The Veteran will be provided an SSOC if their benefits are not granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, finding no evidence of in-service exposure to asbestos and insufficient medical evidence linking the condition to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasons provided in a previous decision regarding service connection for a stroke, which is now considered secondary to diabetes. The Veteran's private neurologist opined that his stroke was related to diabetes, while the VA examiner disagreed. A new medical opinion is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's stroke.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension due to inextricably intertwined issues. The Veteran's exposure to commercial herbicides is not considered, and a new etiology opinion is needed regarding whether his diabetes mellitus type II is related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient rationale in the July 2018 VA examination regarding the relationship between sleep apnea and diabetes mellitus, as well as the Veteran's assertion that obesity caused by service-connected diabetes mellitus may have contributed to his sleep apnea.