Diabetes decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment since June 2014.,The Board finds that the combination of multiple disabilities, including sleep apnea, coronary artery disease, and lumbar condition with radiculopathy, has prevented the Veteran from securing and maintaining a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional development.,The Veteran seeks earlier effective dates for his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II, right lower extremity (RLE) symmetric distal sciatic polyneuropathy, and left lower extremity (LLE) symmetric distal sciatic polyneuropathy. The Board finds that the VA examinations conducted prior to the March 2021 rating decision were inadequate for determining the severity of his diabetes mellitus type II disability.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for ischemic heart disease is granted from May 23, 2024. The claim for a higher rating for diabetes mellitus type II is denied.

The Veteran's asthma claim is being remanded due to new evidence received after the final February 2007 rating decision.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety and depression, is granted. The Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disability is related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II is being remanded due to a failure to provide proper notice of his right to a hearing before the AOJ.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional development regarding whether the Veteran participated in a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) during service, which could potentially affect his cause of death.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to incomplete records. The VA must attempt to obtain all relevant medical records, including those from the Louisville VAMC from January 2012 through March 2022.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and obstructive sleep apnea are remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions regarding the relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction secondary to PTSD and diabetes, but the claims of service connection for diabetes, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea are remanded due to a lack of medical opinions addressing the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left foot disabilities, with obesity serving as an intermediary step.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, kidney disability, headache disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD), and obstructive sleep apnea due to in-service exposure to toxic chemicals. The AOJ is directed to verify the Veteran's in-service exposure to toxic chemicals at Jacksonville and Davisville.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, left and right lower extremity neuropathy, as well as bilateral knee conditions. The decision is based on the Veteran's assertions of in-service onset and continuity of symptoms.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type I, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether it was incurred during the Veteran's period of active duty training from June 1985 to August 1985.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, thus the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability is denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus is already at its maximum schedular rating, and there is no evidence to support an increased rating.,There is insufficient evidence to find that the Veteran's right foot pain or left foot pain are related to his active duty service. ,There is insufficient evidence to find that the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to his active duty service. ,The Veteran has been diagnosed with chest pain, and a VA examination is needed to determine if it is related to his military service.,A VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's diabetes mellitus type 2 is related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus, type II, from August 10, 2022, is denied.,The Veteran's claim for a separate compensable rating for dysesthesias in the right hand as due to diabetes mellitus, type II, is denied.,The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date prior to August 10, 2022, for service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II, is remanded.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease, type II diabetes mellitus, and hypertension are granted as these conditions are presumed to be associated with exposure to Agent Orange during his service at or near the Korean DMZ.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral diabetic retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, right upper extremity, right lower extremity, and left lower extremity due to a lack of adequate VA examinations.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus does not require regulation of activities, and thus he is not entitled to a rating in excess of 20 percent.,The Veteran's hypertension has been well-controlled by medication throughout the appeal period and does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7101.,For diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, sciatic nerve, the Veteran is not entitled to an initial rating in excess of 20 percent as his condition is manifested by no more than moderate incomplete paralysis.,For diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, femoral nerve, the Veteran is not entitled to an initial rating in excess of 20 percent as his condition is manifested by no more than moderate incomplete paralysis.,For diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, sciatic nerve, the Veteran is not entitled to an initial rating in excess of 20 percent as his condition is manifested by no more than moderate incomplete paralysis.,For diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, femoral nerve, the Veteran is not entitled to an initial rating in excess of 20 percent as his condition is manifested by no more than moderate incomplete paralysis.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus and multinodular goiter of the thyroid with subclinical hyperthyroidism as secondary to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), considering obesity as an intermediate step in both cases.