Diabetes decisions — 2022

The Veteran's right elbow disability, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, stroke, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, and tinnitus are all granted as they meet the criteria for presumptive service connection based on exposure to herbicide agents during military service.,Presumptive service connection is established for these conditions due to the Veteran's reported exposure to herbicide agents while stationed at the Naval Construction Training Center in Gulfport, Mississippi.

The Veteran's right knee DJD is granted as it is at least as likely as not related to his in-service injury and subsequent surgery.,The Veteran's left knee DJD is granted based on aggravation of a pre-existing condition during service. ,Service connection for diabetes mellitus type II is denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right eye disorder due to inadequate VA medical opinions and failure to address specific evidence. The case is now pending with instructions for an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes, and peripheral neuropathy, render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board is unable to make a decision on the service connection claims for bilateral hand disability, bilateral shoulder disability, bilateral knee disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, and headache disability as no VA examiner has provided an opinion regarding their onset during service or relation to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between his service-connected resection of the large intestine and his LADA (diabetes type I).

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for COPD, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hepatitis C, and MRSA infection have been withdrawn. The appeal for service connection for PTSD has been reopened due to new evidence received more than one year after the April 2010 decision. Service connection is remanded for vertigo (balance problems), Meniere's syndrome, tremors, sleep apnea, and TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied service connection for type II diabetes mellitus, bilateral upper and lower extremity neuropathy due to lack of evidence of herbicide exposure during service. The Veteran's claims were remanded multiple times but the evidence did not establish herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's diabetes mellitus and low back disorder are denied as not service-connected.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for neuropathy of the right lower extremity and an earlier effective date prior to October 23, 2008 for a rating of total disability due to individual unemployability based upon service-connected disorders require additional development. The case is being remanded to allow for further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's claims.

The Veteran's diabetes is granted as presumptively related to herbicide agent exposure, and the claim is granted.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and throat cancer as the Veteran was not exposed to herbicides during his naval service.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy with diplopia is remanded due to incomplete medical records and the need to obtain a Goldmann chart from the December 2017 VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus due to exposure to herbicide agents during active duty in Korea. The claims were reopened based on new evidence showing the Veteran's disabilities had their onset in service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and gout have been denied. The Veteran's left knee and right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome claims are also denied.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II (DMII), and remanded the issue of service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). The Veteran's DMII claim was denied as there is no current diagnosis of DMII. COPD was not found to be due to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been reopened, with the former being granted. The claim for sleep apnea remains closed as no new and material evidence has been received.,Service connection is denied for a bilateral foot condition (heel spurs and plantar fasciitis), as there is insufficient evidence to establish that the condition had its onset in service or is causally related to any incident of service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes, both potentially related to herbicide exposure. The decision also includes a remand for further research into whether the Veteran was present on the ground in Vietnam during his military service, which could affect the presumption of herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities, including diabetes mellitus, depression, back disability, sleep apnea, bilateral flat feet, right hip disability, left hip disability, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction. The VA is directed to obtain treatment records, provide medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions, and determine if any are related to service or secondary to diabetes.