Diabetes decisions — 2022

The Veteran's PTSD was granted an increased rating of 70 percent effective June 26, 2019.,Service connection for hypertension is denied. The Veteran's new and material evidence has reopened the claim, but service connection remains denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings, service connection, or reopening of previously denied claims have been granted. The case is remanded for further development on some issues.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, vision disability, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as the evidence did not support a nexus to service or herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate opinions regarding whether his service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated his claimed conditions. The issues include sleep apnea, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, multilevel degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, basal cell carcinoma, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions are denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or a link to service.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease was rated at 60 percent from January 21, 2014 to October 26, 2021 and granted a 100 percent rating from October 27, 2021. The diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy were also rated.,The Veteran's coronary artery disease was found to have chronic congestive heart failure after October 26, 2021.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, hyperglycemia (diabetes mellitus type 2), hyperlipidemia, diabetic amyotrophy, and a skin condition are all denied. The Veteran's bilateral inguinal hernia claim is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral feet, OSA, supraventricular arrhythmia, diabetes mellitus type II with ED, PTSD, Barrett's esophagus with GERD, upper extremity tremors, and hypertension, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's initial rating for Type II Diabetes Mellitus prior to June 9, 2017 was denied. The Veteran received a 20 percent initial rating from that date forward.

The Board has determined that the reduction of the evaluation from 40 percent to 20 percent for diabetes mellitus, effective July 1, 2020, was proper based on evidence showing sustained improvement in the Veteran's condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment since June 1, 2021. The Board granted a TDIU based on the combined effect of all his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, CAD, DM II, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower legs, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has determined that his TDIU claim is granted.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and prostate disorder, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease that is related to the current conditions.

The Veteran's tinnitus and left ear hearing loss are granted as service-connected.,Service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, cataracts, neuropathy of the lower extremities, heart condition, hypertension, and kidney condition is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Veteran's claim for hypertension and left knee condition was denied. The claim for diabetes with hyperglycemia with glycosuria is being remanded.,New evidence has been received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for diabetes, but it remains denied.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for diabetes, peripheral neuropathy of upper and lower extremities, and diabetic retinopathy. The appeal for lumbar strain is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for diabetes mellitus type II is denied, and the case is remanded for further examination to determine if he has right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy related to his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus are granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents. Service connection is denied for kidney condition, bilateral eye condition, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of May 14, 2012, for the addition of his spouse as a dependent to his VA disability compensation award was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an earlier effective date due to the lack of timely submission of claims and information.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to verify the Veteran's reported in-service events and to ensure compliance with VA's duty to assist.