Diabetes decisions — 2022

The Veteran's claims for service connection and rating determinations are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine if the Veteran required aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities prior to his death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus, type 2 due to herbicide agent exposure. The AOJ is instructed to verify the Veteran's claimed exposures at Camp Casey in Korea and Fort Drum, and obtain an expert opinion regarding residual toxicity exposure.

The Veteran's Type 2 diabetes mellitus disability is rated at 20 percent, and the Board denied a higher rating. The claim for SMC based on housebound criteria was also denied.

The claim for service connection for glaucoma is denied. The claim for an increased disability rating in excess of 60 percent for prostate cancer is remanded.

Service connection for RA and DM is granted on a presumptive basis due to herbicide exposure. Service connection for PN related to DM is also granted. PTSD is rated at the current level of disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for diabetes and peripheral neuropathy of both the left upper and lower extremities due to ambiguity in the evidence regarding the Veteran's diagnosis and treatment history. The AOJ is instructed to consider these issues on the merits.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2 with visual complications, finding that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during his service in Thailand and is presumed to have been exposed. The Veteran's statements regarding his exposure near the perimeter of Nakhon Phanom RTAFB are considered credible.

The Veteran's bilateral eye disability, including diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, and glaucoma, is rated at 90 percent after August 6, 2014. The appeal for a higher rating prior to that date has been denied.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, right lung pulmonary fibrosis, restrictive lung diseases, skin cancer of the entire body, enlarged prostate with elevated PSAs, and heart condition. The reasons given were that there was no credible evidence showing herbicide exposure or a link between these conditions and active duty service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus type II, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and a lung condition due to herbicide agent exposure. Additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea was granted, but the underlying claim of entitlement to service connection for this condition is denied.,Service connection for diabetes was denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, with erectile dysfunction, and diabetic neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities (sciatic and femoral nerves) was denied as his formal application was not received within one year following his intent to file a claim. The effective date remains June 29, 2016.

The Board has decided to remand the claim of entitlement to total disability due to individual unemployability (TDIU) for further development and readjudication.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for CAD, diabetes mellitus, type II, and dry eye syndrome have been granted. The exposure to herbicide agents while serving at Ubon RTAFB in Thailand is presumed.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus, type II. The Board found that there was no evidence to support a direct relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is rated at 40 percent from April 20, 2018. Service connection for renal dysfunction and hypertension are also granted as secondary to the service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his service-connected CAD was denied, as the condition did not meet the criteria for an increased rating prior to February 17, 2021.,The issue of entitlement to TDIU prior to June 15, 2018 is remanded and may be granted on a case-by-case basis due to the Veteran's service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including hypertension, dizziness, diabetes, and anemia.,Service connection cannot be established for any of these conditions as the evidence does not support a finding that they were incurred or aggravated by service.