Diabetes decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy due to inadequate medical opinions. The AOJ is instructed to obtain addendum opinions addressing the etiology of these disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy of bilateral lower extremities due to insufficient opinions regarding their etiology.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for left upper extremity diabetic neuropathy, right upper extremity diabetic neuropathy, and hypertension as secondary to diabetes mellitus, type II due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has found that there is no evidence of a skin disability or diabetes mellitus, type II, being related to service. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and low back disability are also not supported by the evidence presented.

The Veteran's initial disability rating for diabetes mellitus type II is denied, but service connection is granted for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and hypertension due to Agent Orange exposure. Service connection is also granted for GERD, CAD, and ED secondary to DM II.

The Board has granted the reopening of claims for service connection for Type II Diabetes Mellitus and Peripheral Neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, finding that new evidence supports these claims. Service connection is also granted for Peripheral Neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities as secondary to newly service-connected Type II Diabetes Mellitus.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for a higher rating for diabetes mellitus type II is denied prior to October 15, 2018 and granted from October 15, 2018. The issue of service connection for periodontal disease secondary to diabetes mellitus type II is remanded.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claims, including obtaining updated VA treatment records. The appeals for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and erectile dysfunction are being remanded. If the Veteran becomes schedularly eligible for a TDIU prior to July 29, 2019, his claim will be referred to the Director of Compensation Services for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for PTSD and type 2 diabetes mellitus were dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus Type II, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and sleep apnea as secondary to diabetes mellitus Type II. The Veteran's service aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga is being verified to determine if he was exposed to herbicide agents during his service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a disability rating of 60 percent for prostate cancer residuals is denied. The effective date remains September 24, 2018.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for CAD, prostate cancer, and diabetes mellitus due to exposure to herbicides during military service. The case must be returned to the JSRRC for verification of herbicide exposure in Okinawa and Thailand.

The disability rating for diabetes mellitus and lumbar strain is restored to their previous levels.

The Veteran's CAD is rated at 10 percent and the Board finds an updated examination needed to reassess the severity of his condition.,Service connection for arthritis of multiple joints is remanded as the Veteran has a current diagnosis but no VA examination was conducted regarding its etiology. ,Diabetes Mellitus, Type II, is presumed due to exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam, but further evidence is needed to determine if he now meets the diagnostic criteria.,Radiculopathy of the left upper extremity is remanded as a new VA examination is needed to determine the current diagnosis and whether it is related to service-connected conditions or DM II.,Radiculopathy of the right upper extremity is also remanded for similar reasons.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus and gastrointestinal disorder were denied as service connection was not established due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the right eye and left shoulder conditions are denied.,The Veteran's bilateral leg condition is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

Service connection for ischemic heart disease, diabetes, and PTSD has been granted.,The Veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss and skin cancer have not met the criteria to reopen.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete records and potential herbicide exposure verification.

The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, and there is no evidence that the cause of death (profound hemorrhage) was caused or contributed by any service-connected condition.,Service connection for the cause of death was denied as the preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that either Type II Diabetes Mellitus or hypertension caused or contributed to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of June 22, 2009. The Board finds that he is unemployable due to his vision impairment and other conditions.