Diabetes decisions — 2022

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is rated at 40 percent, requiring insulin and a restricted diet. The Board finds the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran requires regulation of activities due to his diabetes.

The Veteran's claim for specially adapted housing is granted due to his service-connected heart disability and peripheral neuropathy causing severe loss of use of both lower and upper extremities. The appeal for the special home adaptation grant is dismissed as moot because eligibility for specially adapted housing has been established.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to engage and retain substantially gainful employment, thus the claim for TDIU is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy in the Veteran's bilateral upper and lower extremities as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II. The issues of entitlement to a higher rating for PTSD, and TDIU prior to July 27, 2017 are remanded.

The Board has decided that the VA Form 21-526EZ received on January 13, 2019, requesting reconsideration of the claim for diabetes mellitus, type II is not accepted. The Veteran was instructed to file a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) if he disagreed with this decision. However, the NOD was filed on the wrong form and thus not eligible for review in the modernized system under AMA.

The Veteran's heart disorder, diabetes mellitus type II, and hypertension are all granted service connection on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD and bipolar disorder) is remanded as the VA examination did not address other diagnoses.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted, and the effective dates for certain service connection claims are dismissed without prejudice.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and diabetic peripheral sensory neuropathy of the lower and upper extremities, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal of a disability rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD is dismissed. The issues of increases in the staged ratings assigned for diabetes mellitus and entitlement to increased ratings for right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are remanded.

The Board has denied service connection for ocular migraines and osteoarthritis, lumbar spine. The claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II is remanded due to the failure to issue a Statement of the Case.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus as it did not manifest during or within one year of the Veteran's active service, and there is no evidence that it was related to a service-connected condition.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, hearing loss, and tinnitus due to potential issues with evidence and need for further examination. The Veteran's exposure during service is not linked to any specific conditions.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his in-service noise exposure and whether it is proximately caused or aggravated by his diabetes mellitus type II.

The Veteran was granted service connection for diabetic nephropathy and bilateral cataracts, arcus senilis, macular degeneration, and peripheral degeneration in March 2017. The RO issued a June 2018 decision granting retroactive VA disability compensation of $1,446.62 from April 2017 to January 2018. However, the Board finds that additional development is needed due to unclear election between Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) and Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payment (CRDP).

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for GERD and DM, but has remanded them due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (PTSD, CAD, and DM) are found to preclude him from engaging in substantially gainful employment. The case is remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, finding that there was no evidence of in-service disease or injury and insufficient medical nexus to establish a relationship between current diabetes and service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.,Service connection is also remanded for diabetes mellitus and arteriosclerotic heart disease.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and CAD have been reopened due to the submission of new evidence.,Service connection has been granted for both conditions, with presumptive exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding obesity and its relation to sleep apnea, as well as the relationship between diabetes mellitus type II and obesity.