Diabetes decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes and GERD, finding a pre-decisional duty to assist error due to new theories of causation provided by the Veteran.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the failure of the RO to schedule examinations as ordered in a previous Board decision. The effective date is not specified.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection and SMC based on housebound status and aid and attendance due to incomplete development. The case will be returned to the AOJ for additional development, including obtaining SSA disability benefits records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions have been granted. The Board found that the evidence supported direct service connection for most of the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his severe peripheral neuropathy and vascular disease affecting his lower extremities, have resulted in a loss of use of both lower extremities. The Board has determined that the Veteran is eligible for specially adapted housing due to these conditions but not for special home adaptation or adaptive equipment.

The Veteran's neck scar is rated at 10 percent, but a higher rating is not warranted due to lack of characteristics of disfigurement. The Veteran has been found to have painful scars warranting a separate 10 percent rating.,Service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the left and right knees are remanded as there may be an intermediate step in causing or aggravating these conditions due to obesity.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease, type II diabetes mellitus, and hypertension have been granted. The Board has also remanded the issues of service connection for erectile dysfunction and peripheral neuropathy due to lack of medical evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to duty-to-assist errors and for determining exposure to herbicides or pesticides during service. The issues of diabetes mellitus type II, ischemic heart disease, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia are being reviewed again.

The Veteran's initial disability ratings for left and right lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy affecting the femoral nerves are granted at a 10 percent rating, effective August 18, 2016.

The Board dismissed the appellant's appeals regarding entitlement to higher evaluations for PTSD and peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities, as well as earlier effective dates for service connection. The Veteran's disabilities were found not to warrant such adjustments.,The Board also denied the appellant's claims for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance prior to February 28, 2014, and an increased level of SMC based on need for regular aid and attendance.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between service-connected disabilities and obesity, which may have caused or aggravated diabetes mellitus, type II, and prostate cancer.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is proximately due to and caused by his service-connected sleep apnea.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for diabetes mellitus type II, sleep apnea, migraine headaches, and bladder dysfunction as secondary to service-connected multiple sclerosis (MS), major depressive disorder (MDD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to higher ratings for various service-connected conditions, including coronary artery disease and peripheral neuropathy. The Veteran's appeal is not about service connection but rather about the appropriate disability rating.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The issue of service connection for COPD is remanded due to incomplete VA medical opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for tinea pedis of the bilateral feet and denied service connection for diabetes mellitus. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a gastrointestinal condition, including irritable bowel syndrome (claimed as Crohn's disease) is remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents. The remaining claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sinus disorder, basal cell carcinoma of the back, diabetes mellitus type II, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the hypertension claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II as secondary to his service-connected PTSD and alcohol use disorder is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran's current diabetes was aggravated by his service-connected PTSD and alcohol use disorder, meeting the criteria for secondary service connection.

The Board denied service connection for lung cancer, acute renal failure, end stage liver disease, and diabetes mellitus as these conditions are not related to service or service-connected conditions.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and a left eye disability, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus to service.