Diabetes decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete development and inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran's conditions are related to his active duty service, but there is insufficient evidence or adequate opinion regarding the specific exposure basis.

The Veteran's TDIU is granted from October 12, 2017, to December 17, 2020, due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and a bilateral knee disability, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support a link between these conditions and service.

The Board denied reopening of the claims for service connection for various conditions, including nicotine dependence, coronary artery disease, neuropathy of the legs, loss of vision in the left eye, cataracts, atrial fibrillation, obesity, cerebrovascular accident, diabetes mellitus, porokeratosis, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. The Board found that new evidence did not establish a relationship to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate compliance with its February 2019 remand directives, specifically regarding the determination of when the Veteran was first diagnosed with diabetic nephropathy.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is presumed to be due to exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand during his service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss has been rated at Level I throughout the appeal period.,The claims for service connection of neck condition and HTN are being remanded due to new evidence having been received.,Service connection is being granted for Type II diabetes mellitus (DM2) as secondary to HTN.,HTN is being remanded due to insufficient rationale provided by the examiner.,Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is being remanded due to insufficient rationale provided by the examiner.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss claim is being remanded for further review of the audiometry records in his service treatment records.,Service connection for neck condition is being remanded as there was no consideration of the Veteran's lay report.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for DM, polymyalgia, and sleep apnea must be denied as there is no evidence of in-service disease or injury. The claims for left hip disability and right hip disability are remanded due to a lack of medical evidence showing current disabilities during the appeal period. The claim for service connection for left shoulder rotator cuff tear is also remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and a higher rating for diabetes mellitus have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, which combined had an 80 percent rating with one individually rated at 50 percent, have not rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as of September 12, 2018 due to his service-connected disabilities meeting the schedular criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as of September 12, 2018 due to his service-connected disabilities meeting the schedular criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as of September 12, 2018 due to his service-connected disabilities meeting the schedular criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain or maintain gainful employment, and the Board finds that his TDIU claim is denied.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as of September 12, 2018 due to his service-connected disabilities meeting the schedular criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, diabetic retinopathy and cataracts have worsened since his last VA examination. The Board has ordered additional examinations to assess the current severity of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for migraines was granted, effective from November 20, 2017. Service connection for OSA and hypertension was also granted.

The Board has decided to remand several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including erectile dysfunction, type 2 diabetes mellitus, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and diabetic neuropathy. The reasons for this are the need for additional treatment records and information from Social Security Administration (SSA) regarding disability benefits.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is granted a 60 percent rating from June 28, 2018 to June 28, 2019. The right and left femoral nerve peripheral neuropathy are each granted a 40 percent rating for the entire period on appeal. The right sciatic nerve peripheral neuropathy is granted a 40 percent rating from June 28, 2018 to June 28, 2019, and thereafter a 60 percent rating. The left sciatic nerve peripheral neuropathy is granted a 60 percent rating for the entire period on appeal. The right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is granted a 40 percent rating prior to July 14, 2021, and thereafter a 70 percent rating. The left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is granted a 30 percent rating prior to July 14, 2021, and thereafter a 60 percent rating.