Diabetes decisions — 2020

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and diabetes mellitus with peripheral neuropathy, have rendered him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment. As a result, the Board has granted a TDIU.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes, vision impairment, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities as secondary to diabetes due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during active service.

The Veteran's bilateral eye disability, including nuclear sclerotic cataracts and branch retinal vein occlusion with diabetic retinopathy (resolved), warrants a 40 percent rating effective September 26, 2016.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and earlier effective dates were dismissed.,Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are now pending. The Board has found new and material evidence to support the reopening of his claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, anxiety disorder; however, no new or material evidence was found to reopen his claims for hypertension, post-operative abdominal injury, diabetes mellitus, type II, and right hip scar (residual of a gunshot wound).

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's pancreatic cancer is related to his presumed herbicide exposure in service. The DIC claim remains pending and will be readjudicated after the additional development.

The appeals for service connection for PTSD, increased ratings for diabetes mellitus and diabetic neuropathy, as well as TDIU are dismissed due to the appellant's death.

The Veteran's diabetic nephropathy, rated as renal dysfunction, is being remanded for further evaluation due to uncertainty regarding the appropriate rating based on his eGFR and other findings.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a heart disability, diabetes, and bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy due to additional development being necessary.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease, type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and ulcers are granted. The cases of hypertension and ulcers are remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Board has withdrawn the Veteran's claim for service connection for asbestosis and remanded his claims for diabetes mellitus, fungal infection of the hands, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The claims are being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Board has dismissed all service connection claims for the Veteran's listed conditions, including those related to herbicide exposure, due to his death.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to November 14, 2012.

The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with previous remand directives and unclear opinions regarding the aggravation of eye conditions by diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, finding that there was no evidence to support a direct relationship between his current condition and his military service. The Board also noted that the Veteran did not serve in Vietnam or Thailand where herbicide exposure would have been presumed.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and coronary artery disease due to herbicide exposure. The AOJ is instructed to attempt verification of the Veteran's claimed herbicide exposure in Okinawa, Japan.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is entitled to a TDIU on an extraschedular basis, effective November 13, 2006, due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bowel disease claimed as IBS and diabetes mellitus type II have been granted. The Board has also remanded the cases to obtain additional development regarding exposure to ionizing radiation and to provide medical opinions on the etiology of the conditions.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to the death of the appellant, and no jurisdiction remains for further action.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis meets the criteria for a 10 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 7913 and is presumptively related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents.