Diabetes decisions — 2023

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and gout, finding no evidence of direct causation or exposure to herbicide agents during active military service.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, finding that the Veteran did not have endocrine injury or disease during service and no chronic symptoms of diabetes were present. The current diagnosis is not causally related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to address whether the Veteran's service-connected PTSD, diabetic neuropathy, or obesity caused his obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to incomplete records and inadequate medical opinions regarding his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for diabetic neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities have been remanded due to insufficient detail in the VA examination reports. The Board will reassess these claims based on the current evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus, service connection for pancreatitis and gall bladder disability, and TDIU due to conflicting medical evidence and need for additional opinions.

The Board denied service connection for a throat disorder and an initial disability rating higher than 10 percent for hypertension. The Veteran's prostate disorder, diabetic nephropathy with hypertension, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy were remanded.,The Veteran was granted service connection for his prostate disorder but denied an increased disability rating for hypertension. His diabetes mellitus with diabetic retinopathy and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy were also remanded.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is granted as service-connected due to presumed exposure to herbicides during his active military service in Korea.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal was improperly docketed in the AMA system and should be re-docketed under the Legacy system. The issues on appeal will be readjudicated, and a Statement of the Case must be issued for the Veteran to perfect his appeal by filing a VA Form 9 or opting into the AMA framework.

The Board denied the claim for DIC benefits due to kidney cancer and other disabilities, finding that there was no service connection or exposure to herbicide agents/radiation during military service.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for earlier effective dates and increased ratings as the Veteran timely opted into the modernized appeals process under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA). The claims of service connection for PTSD, low back disability, TBI, and peripheral neuropathy have been granted in full.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for major depressive disorder with anxious distress and bilateral plantar fasciitis, as well as his claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus and OSA. The claim to reopen the issue of service connection for diabetes mellitus was denied due to lack of new and material evidence, while the claim to reopen the issue of service connection for OSA was granted based on new evidence.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II and benign prostatic hyperplasia are granted as due to in-service exposure to an herbicide agent.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is granted as presumptively due to in-service herbicide agent exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding herbicide agent exposure and a need for further examination to determine if type 2 diabetes mellitus is related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for further medical examination and opinion regarding the relationship between her current conditions and service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is granted as service connected due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents. However, his pes planus is denied as not related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II with nephropathy on a presumptive basis due to the Veteran's diagnosis within one year of discharge. The COPD claim is remanded as there are insufficient medical opinions regarding its etiology.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at St. Joseph's Hospital on May 16 through May 17, 2013 and at Dignity Health on June 3, 2013 due to lack of authorization from VA and failure to meet the criteria for emergency treatment.

The Veteran's tinnitus, left upper extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and right lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy have been granted service connection. The appeal regarding a higher evaluation for SMC is dismissed.