Diabetes decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to incomplete records and outstanding private treatment records.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary for the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, and TDIU claims due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the severity of his condition and need for aid and attendance. The SMC claim is also remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial rating greater than 20 percent for diabetes mellitus and for an earlier effective date for service connection. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of the diabetes, as it required only more than one daily injection of insulin and progressive weight loss, without regulation of activities due to the condition.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease and/or diabetes mellitus caused his stroke. As a result, the claim for service connection for residuals of a stroke is granted.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for a TDIU and denied an increased rating for type II diabetes mellitus. The claims of higher ratings for peripheral neuropathy and radiculopathy are remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes and hypertension were reopened due to the submission of new evidence. Service connection is granted for a lumbar spine disability, diagnosed as spondylolisthesis.,Service connection is granted for left lower extremity radiculopathy and right lower extremity radiculopathy, both secondary to the service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and retinopathy are all granted as due to herbicide exposure. The Veteran's eye disorder is remanded for further examination.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, heart condition, and diabetes mellitus as there was no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability is remanded due to the need for additional development and consideration of his occupational limitations.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The diabetes mellitus appeal is remanded due to insufficient evidence of regulation of activities, while the prostate cancer appeal remains at a 20 percent rating.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, type II diabetes mellitus (DM), and a heart disorder due to incomplete records. The Veteran's SSA disability benefits records are needed.

The Veteran's need for a higher level of aid and attendance, necessitating hospitalization or other institutional care, is granted from April 8, 2021.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus. The case is remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records from Brooke Army Medical Center and determine if there is a link between military environmental exposure, including Agent Orange, and erectile dysfunction.

The Board has remanded the cases for further evaluation due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the service-connected disabilities and Type II diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's COPD is granted as service connected. The Board finds the evidence to be in approximate balance and grants service connection for COPD. Other issues of service connection are remanded.

The Veteran is entitled to a TDIU from December 3, 2014 due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left and right hands, currently rated at 20 percent each. The case is being returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for type II diabetes mellitus, finding that the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty in Thailand is presumed and thus granting the claim.

The Veteran's petition to reopen a claim of service connection for a bilateral knee disability has been granted. The claims for increased ratings and service connection for various conditions have been remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and COPD have been denied as there is no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents or asbestos. The Board found that the Veteran did not serve in Vietnam and thus could not be presumed exposed to herbicides. Additionally, his symptoms were not shown to be related to service.