Diabetes decisions — 2023

The Board has decided to remand the claims for diabetes mellitus and obstructive sleep apnea due to AO exposure, as well as the claim for secondary service connection for obstructive sleep apnea. The Veteran's exposure history needs to be verified, and a new VA examination is required to determine the nature and etiology of his obstructive sleep apnea.

The Veteran is granted a TDIU effective March 17, 2011 to May 15, 2014 due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing and maintaining gainful employment.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is granted as due to military environmental exposure under the PACT Act. The issue of service connection for erectile dysfunction related to diabetes mellitus is remanded.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and MDD) are not granted. The case is remanded to obtain a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, type II, erectile dysfunction, and neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities have all been denied.,There is no evidence of a current disability in any of these conditions. The Board finds that the Veteran does not meet the threshold element required to establish service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, loss of feeling in the pelvic area, pinched nerve on the right side of the neck, cervicalgia, ankle disabilities, sphincter control issues, bladder control issues, and hematochezia are remanded due to insufficient evidence or need for further examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II (DMII), finding that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure during his service in Panama and that the condition did not have its onset during or within one year following service.

The Board has remanded the case due to failure to obtain a clarifying addendum from a private physician regarding the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating were denied. The back disability was granted a 40 percent rating, but the other conditions remain pending.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for nephrolithiasis was denied. The TDIU claims for the periods from November 8, 2011 to March 3, 2017 and May 6, 2021 to present were both dismissed as moot due to the Veteran's death (as indicated by the dismissal status). A remand was ordered for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis during the period from March 3, 2017 to May 6, 2021.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, or diabetes mellitus Type II for VA purposes. The Veteran's service treatment records and VA treatment records do not document any complaints, treatment, or diagnoses of these conditions.,VA medical opinions provided in October 2021 did not address whether the Veteran's claimed diabetes mellitus was aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.

The Board denied the petition to reopen the claim for service connection for the cause of death due to lack of new and material evidence, as no records provided since the last final denial in September 2007 raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating the appellant's claim.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus, type II, both secondary to the Veteran's major depressive disorder and sleep apnea. Obesity is considered an intermediate step in causing or aggravating these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2 (DM-2) is remanded due to the need for a medical opinion on whether DM-2 is secondary to his service-connected obstructive sleep apnea. The appeal for TDIU is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the service connection claim.

The Board has remanded the cases for further research and analysis to determine if the U.S.S. Ranger was within the 12 nautical mile territorial waters of Vietnam on December 1, 1968.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, right ear hearing loss disability, and vertigo have been denied due to lack of current diagnoses.,Service connection has also been denied for hypertension, kidney disease, diabetes mellitus type II, bilateral upper extremity and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and a cardiovascular disorder (including CAD).,The Veteran's claim for entitlement to total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) has also been denied.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is granted as presumptively due to herbicide exposure under the PACT Act.

The Veteran's request to reopen the claim of service connection for polycystic kidney disease has been granted. The claims for diabetes mellitus type II, peripheral neuropathy (both lower extremities), prostate cancer, and tinnitus have all been denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of complete service treatment records. The Veteran's claims are related to herbicide agent exposure, but no such records have been provided.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus, type II due to a lack of an effective date prior to August 3, 2017 and for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent. Additionally, SMC based on aid and attendance is also being remanded.