Diabetes decisions — 2020

The Board has decided that another remand is necessary before the matter of the Veteran's entitlement to a TDIU can be adjudicated. The RO must obtain an opinion from a qualified clinician regarding the functional impact of the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities, in combination, on his employability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, Parkinson’s-like motor symptoms, DMII, and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to herbicide exposure. The claims are being remanded for further development including obtaining medical opinions.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's chronic renal disease is secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. As such, service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board granted his claim for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for substitution purposes.

The Veteran's tinea unguium, right eye disability, vertigo, polyarthralgia (fibromyalgia), CFS, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetes mellitus, and liver condition are all granted as service-connected.,Service connection is established for these conditions based on their direct relationship to the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him so helpless as to need regular aid and attendance or permanently confined to his immediate premises, thus denying the claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance or an account of being housebound.

The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection and related benefits. The Board finds insufficient evidence to make a decision regarding his discharge upgrade, which could affect the effective dates.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence and a missed VA examination. The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus is being reviewed for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral vascular disease of the lower extremities and hypertension are remanded due to a lack of presumptive service connection based on herbicide exposure. The VA is requested to obtain medical opinions regarding whether these conditions were related to his in-service herbicide agent exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to difficulties in obtaining relevant private treatment records. The issues remain unresolved and need further development.

The Veteran's diabetic retinopathy is granted as secondary to his service-connected diabetes. The issue of increased rating for chronic diarrhea and service connection for renal disease (kidney) are both remanded.,Chronic diarrhea was not found to be related to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes in this decision.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, chronic kidney disease as secondary to hypertension, heart disease as secondary to hypertension, and diabetes mellitus type II as secondary to hypertension. The Veteran's conditions are found to be proximately due or aggravated by his service-connected hypertension.

The Board has denied service connection for a cervical spine disability and diabetes mellitus, finding that the evidence does not support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's service connection claim for type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his naval service in the territorial waters of Vietnam.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for diabetes mellitus, asthma, and Pityrosporum folliculitis with actinic keratosis due to potential service connection based on exposure to burn pits while serving in Iraq.

The Board has dismissed the appeals as to service connection for diabetes mellitus type I, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities because these claims have been granted in full.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diabetes mellitus type II, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and now grants the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for these conditions. The Board also found that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of memory loss or cognitive decline, right ear hearing loss, digestive disorder, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, fatigue, or loss of saliva at any time during the pendency of his claims.

A rating of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus type II is granted effective January 23, 2020.,TDIU is granted effective December 2, 2012. Special monthly compensation based on housebound status is granted effective October 29, 2014.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and work history from December 2, 2012 onward.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus and Parkinson's disease due to Agent Orange exposure, requiring further development including verification of exposure and a VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and opinion regarding whether the Veteran's diabetes was due to his active service.