Diabetes decisions — 2022

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, but has remanded the issue of secondary service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Veteran's DM is rated at 20 percent, and he was granted TDIU and DEA benefits effective October 2, 2014. The claim for a higher rating for DM remains denied.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, bilateral eye diabetic retinopathy, and left toe disability. The decision is based on the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Korea.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to potential PACT Act exposure and need for an addendum opinion regarding COPD.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, Parkinson's disease, diabetic nephropathy (claimed as kidney disease), diabetic retinopathy (claimed as vision loss), gallbladder removal, glaucoma, pancreatitis, bitemporal local epilepsy, and lewy body dementia have all been granted due to presumed exposure to herbicides during service.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded for further development, including scheduling an examination to assess the severity of his left forearm scar and issuing a Statement of the Case (SOC) addressing all issues on appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, both presumed to be due to herbicide exposure. The issues of increased ratings for lumbar spine disability and right lower extremity sensory loss are remanded.

The Veteran's service connection claim for diabetes mellitus, type II (DMII) is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his military service in the Republic of Vietnam.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is dismissed as moot because he is already receiving a 100% combined schedular rating for his service-connected disabilities, rendering the issue of TDIU moot.

The Veteran's service connection claim for diabetes mellitus type II (DM) is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicides. Claims for low back disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability are denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2 and bilateral lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error in verifying the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during service at Subic Bay.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus type II and related peripheral neuropathy, spinal fusion, bilateral eye disability (blindness and diabetic retinopathy), and sleep apnea due to inadequate compliance with previous remand directives. The claims are inextricably intertwined as resolution of one may impact another.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea, including whether it is related to service or aggravated by his service-connected conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, coronary artery disease, and diabetes mellitus. The claims are now remanded to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorders.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate addressing of a theory discussed in Walsh v. Wilkie, where obesity can serve as an intermediate step between a service-connected disability and a claimed disability in the context of secondary service connection.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II, coronary artery disease, and hypertension are presumed to be associated with herbicide agent exposure during service.,Service connection is granted for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to the service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.

The Board has denied earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for bilateral upper extremity neuropathy.,The Veteran's claims for increased initial ratings for diabetic peripheral neuropathy in his left and right upper extremities are remanded.

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus and diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities are granted as service-connected due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for ulcerative colitis and an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus with history of hypoglycemia. As a result, the Board has no further jurisdiction in these matters.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal.