Diabetes decisions — 2023

Service connection for DM and IHD is granted based on the PACT Act, effective August 10, 2022. Service connection for CKD, peripheral neuropathies of the bilateral upper and lower extremities are also granted as secondary to service-connected DM.,The nephrolithiasis claim remains pending and will be remanded for a VA examination.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is granted as presumed due to herbicide exposure during service in Vietnam.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected PTSD contributed to his heart conditions, which led to his death. The VA is instructed to obtain updated treatment records and provide a medical opinion on this issue.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II was granted service connection as it resulted from his active duty service and continuity of symptoms since separation.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and diabetes mellitus were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show total occupational and social impairment for PTSD, nor required regulation of activities or hospitalization for diabetes.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for prostate cancer and type 2 diabetes mellitus due to incomplete treatment records from VA facilities. Updated records are needed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus has been reopened and is granted.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, right upper extremity, left lower extremity, and right lower extremity have all been reopened and are granted.

The Board has remanded the cases due to conflicting service records and the need for further investigation into the Veteran's overseas assignments.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and coronary artery disease, finding that the Veteran's duties placed him on or near the base perimeter at Udorn RTAFB in Thailand. The COPD appeal was dismissed as withdrawn. Service connection is also granted for other conditions related to these two disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case again due to insufficient rationale in a previous VA medical opinion. The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is being reviewed for possible secondary service connection to his major depressive disorder and obesity, which may be related to his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral cataracts has been withdrawn. The Board granted a TDIU effective from December 10, 2014 to July 18, 2022.,Effective from July 18, 2022, the Veteran is in receipt of a combined disability rating of 100 percent due to his service-connected disabilities.

Service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and hypertension is denied.,Service connection for psoriasis and dermatitis is denied.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diabetes mellitus type II and abnormal electrocardiogram are all granted as service-connected.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type 2 was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period. Continuity of symptomatology is not established; and the disability is not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's initial increased rating for chronic kidney disease stage II associated with diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction is denied, as his condition does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the old or new rating criteria. The Veteran's hypertension was also found to be non-compensable.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, as his PTSD is productive of a great degree of disability but does not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation from November 30, 2009, through November 14, 2014. He also has diabetes which is rated at over 60 percent. Therefore, TDIU and SMC at the housebound rate are granted.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease, old myocardial infarction, and type II diabetes mellitus are granted due to exposure to herbicide agents during active service. The Board found the evidence approximately evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents at Fort McClellan in Alabama.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for left hand tremors, right hand tremors, skin condition, COPD, and heart conditions. The rating for DM remains unchanged at 20 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for type II diabetes mellitus (DMII) due to herbicide agent exposure during the Veteran's active duty service at Johnston Atoll.