Diabetes decisions — 2022

The Veteran's diabetes and its complications are being remanded for further evaluation, including service connection determinations.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease as the evidence did not support a link to service or other conditions.

The Veteran's mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy with cataracts associated with diabetes mellitus type II and erectile dysfunction is rated at 10% from March 16, 2012 to July 4, 2018. He was granted a TDIU prior to July 5, 2018.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and ischemic heart disease due to potential exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The Veteran's claim will be further evaluated with a medical opinion regarding the relationship between his service and these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus type II, left knee disability, and right knee disability are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and records.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding hypertension. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are preventing him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, but further examination is needed to determine if his hypertension disability is related to his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims for prostate cancer and type II diabetes mellitus (DM) have been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The effective date for a 10 percent evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The Veteran's bladder condition, hypertension, erectile dysfunction (ED), headaches, and cause of death are all remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain and maintain a substantially gainful occupation, effective December 7, 2016.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his employment as a chaplain/civil servant with the U.S. Army, and he has not provided sufficient information regarding his current employment status.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, leading to a denial of the TDIU claim.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2 (DM2), finding it presumptively related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides during his service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral tinnitus, a right hip condition, and diabetes mellitus type II were granted. The claim for chronic kidney disease is remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to new evidence and outstanding records. The issues of service connection, special monthly compensation (SMC), and education benefits are being deferred until the service connection issues are resolved.

The Board has denied service connection for circulatory or vascular disability (claimed as peripheral vascular disease) and eye disability (claimed as diabetic retinopathy). The issue of service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the hands is remanded.

The Veteran's gunshot wound, left foot with Muscle Group X sensory residuals is currently rated at 30 percent and the issues regarding scar associated with the gunshot wound are also denied. The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is rated at 20 percent. His right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is not higher than 30 percent, while his left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is not higher than 10 percent.,The Veteran's PTSD and TDIU issues have been remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including service connection claims and the determination of a rating for diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is granted secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus from September 20, 2021. Service connection for bilateral lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy is granted from March 28, 2018.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and diabetes mellitus type II, to include as due to herbicide exposure, need further development. The case is being remanded to provide a new VA examination for the left ear hearing loss claim and to verify the Veteran's herbicide exposure during his service in Okinawa.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities required the aid and attendance of his wife to feed himself, prepare meals, attend to hygiene, manage medications, dress, transfer to his scooter, and venture outside his home. The Board granted entitlement to special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance.

The Veteran's petition to reopen the previously denied claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus type II (DM II), whether the reduction in rating was proper, and entitlement to an increased rating for residuals, right ankle subtalar dislocation with arthritis 1st metatarsophalangeal joint.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and erectile dysfunction due to a lack of verification regarding herbicide agent exposure during active service.