Diabetes decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to February 22, 2016 due to non-compliance with previous remand directives. The issues are inextricably intertwined.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's exposure to commercial herbicides at Fort Dix, which is required by the PACT Act.

The Veteran's TDIU is granted as of June 10, 2015, due to his service-connected disabilities and employment in a 'protected environment'. The effective date for this decision is June 10, 2015.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development, including obtaining SSA records and any relevant private or VA treatment records.

The Veteran's service connection claims for tinnitus, hearing loss, diabetes secondary to major depressive disorder, migraines secondary to major depressive disorder, sleep apnea secondary to major depressive disorder, and memory loss are all granted. However, the effective dates prior to February 6, 2018, for these awards have not been established.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of heart disorder, diabetes mellitus, and degenerative disc disease due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for scars on the right hand, left and right lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy affecting the sciatic nerve, and left and right lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy affecting the femoral nerve are all denied.

The Veteran's hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities are all granted as service-connected due to herbicide exposure under the PACT Act.,VA has ordered additional examinations for COPD, BPH, and residuals of a stroke secondary to diabetes.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II was rated at 20 percent, and his bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy (femoral nerve) was each rated at 10 percent prior to August 7, 2023. Beginning August 7, 2023, the Veteran's right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy were both rated at 20 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues regarding the rating for diabetes mellitus and its complications, including whether separate ratings are warranted. The Veteran's service-connected diabetic complications (neuropathy and nephropathy) need to be evaluated based on their earliest onset date, which is not specified in the decision.

The Board has denied an initial rating greater than 20 percent for right shoulder strain and has remanded the issues of service connection for knee disorders, OSA, diabetes, and a psychiatric disorder. The Veteran's claims are pending further development.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and hypertension as there was no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides, and the diseases did not manifest within one year of separation from service.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic kidney disease, non-obstructive coronary artery disease with congestive heart failure, and diabetes mellitus, type II, all of which are presumed to be related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.,Right leg amputation is not addressed in this decision.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding that there was no evidence of herbicide agent exposure and that the Veteran's conditions were not related to his military service.

The Veteran's renal dysfunction, including persistent edema and albuminuria with BUN 40 to 80mg%; creatinine 4 to 8mg%, was not severe enough to warrant a rating in excess of the currently assigned ratings.

The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD), prostate cancer, and diabetes mellitus, type II, as there was no evidence of herbicide exposure in service or any other basis for service connection.

The Board has granted a separate 10 percent rating for right ankle instability and left ankle instability, effective December 29, 2022. The Veteran's bilateral Achilles tendinopathy with forefoot callouses associated with Type 2 diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction is rated as secondary to his service-connected diabetes.

Your service connection claims have been granted, but the Board cannot provide further relief as your benefits are now fully awarded.

The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection as it manifested within one year of separation from active duty. Service connection for a right-hand disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, and diabetes mellitus were denied due to lack of current diagnoses.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and denied an initial compensable disability rating for erectile dysfunction. The claim of increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus was not addressed as it is a separate issue.