Diabetes decisions — 2024

The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer, hypertension, and type II diabetes mellitus based on the Veteran's exposure to hazardous materials during his military service at Fort McClellan.

The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and there is no evidence to support the claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.

The Veteran's visual field defects are currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is granted service connection. The Veteran's irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), to include constipation and diarrhea, is denied service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, memory loss, right shoulder disability, and left shoulder disability due to exposure to herbicide agents are all denied. The Board found no credible evidence of herbicide agent exposure during service.

The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis with gout, COPD, cardiomegaly (enlarged heart), tendonitis, erectile dysfunction, and diabetes mellitus, type II. The evidence did not support a current diagnosis of any of these conditions.,Service connection was also denied for acid reflux disease as it is not service-connected on a secondary basis.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU based on his service-connected PTSD, which rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.,Effective September 13, 2022, the Veteran is also entitled to SMC at the housebound rate due to his combined disability rating of 90 percent without including the PTSD.

The Board denied service connection for gout, finding no evidence of a nexus to service. Service connection for diabetes mellitus type II is remanded due to insufficient medical opinion.,Service connection for DM II remains in dispute as the VA examiner did not provide an adequate opinion regarding its relationship to service-connected major depressive disorder or whether it was aggravated by that condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of various conditions, including a spleen condition, obstructive sleep apnea, pituitary adenoma (claimed as brain tumor), diabetes mellitus type II, and hemorrhoids have been denied. The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claims.

The Veteran's prostate cancer, left eye nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, left lower extremity and right lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and coronary artery disease (status post NSTEMI) have been granted initial evaluations. Effective dates for these determinations are also established.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed, including obtaining information about the qualifications of a VA examiner and completing a TERA memorandum. The claims for service connection are remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prior to April 22, 2011, prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has found that there was substantial compliance with the prior remand directives and has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and service personnel records. The primary issue is whether the Veteran's diabetes mellitus had its onset during his active duty service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's type II diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, and eczema are not service-connected due to lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and active service. The issues have been remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the onset and relationship of these conditions to service.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is currently rated at 20 percent, but the Board finds that it does not warrant a higher rating. The lung condition issue (COPD) and heart condition issue are both remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeals for various conditions have been dismissed due to their death.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, coronary artery disease, hypertension, bilateral eye disorder, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy due to exposure to herbicide agents during military service in the Korean DMZ. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, posttraumatic stress disorder, diabetes mellitus, and tinnitus, rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment from April 30, 2014, to October 16, 2014. The Board granted TDIU on an extraschedular basis for this period.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetic retinopathy was granted, and he is now entitled to a grant of service connection.,His claims for left elbow bursitis and right elbow bursitis were denied. The Veteran also received an initial 70% disability rating for PTSD, a 40% disability rating for diabetes mellitus starting from September 6, 2019, and a 40% disability rating for peripheral neuropathy in both lower extremities since February 20, 2018. The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease was also denied.

Your service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus associated with herbicide exposure has been granted and is rated at 20 percent. The effective date of this grant is November 13, 2022.