Diabetes decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for obesity, diabetes mellitus (DM), and hypertension (HTN) due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The Veteran's DM and HTN are not considered as directly caused or aggravated by her service-connected headaches or back disorder.

The Board has denied service connection for a back condition and diabetes mellitus. The claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded due to inadequate VA examination.

The Veteran's diabetes is granted on a direct basis due to herbicide exposure during service at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for diabetic retinopathy, claimed as irritability of the eyes, is dismissed because it was untimely filed and no good cause has been shown.

The Veteran's hypertension and bilateral non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy have not met the criteria for increased ratings. The earlier effective dates for service connection, rating assignments, and SMC are denied.,The Board has remanded the claim of an appropriate evaluation for CAD with history of coronary artery bypass graft.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for SMC based on need for aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities, as he is able to perform most of his daily activities independently.

The Veteran's Type II diabetes mellitus is granted as service-connected due to presumed exposure to herbicides while serving in the territorial waters of Vietnam.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his diabetes mellitus type II was denied as the disability did not require regulation of activities, which is necessary for a higher rating.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for diabetes, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to errors in duty to assist. The Veteran's service connection claims are being reviewed again with additional examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type II, acne vulgaris and acne keloidalis nuchae, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from September 30, 2009 to March 28, 2019.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus type I was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not demonstrate regulation of activities due to diabetes prior to February 21, 2018, and thus a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied. For the period after February 21, 2018, the Veteran's diabetes required one or more daily injections of insulin, restricted diet, and regulation of activities with episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic reactions requiring hospitalizations or visits to a diabetic care provider.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus due to an inadequate examination based on unsubstantiated assertions of Vietnam-era service and Agent Orange exposure. A new records-based examination is required, focusing on whether the Veteran's diabetes mellitus is related to his service in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War.

The Board has granted service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, hypertension, a heart disorder (atrial fibrillation and coronary artery disease status post CABG), right knee amputation, and left knee amputation all related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete development regarding herbicide exposure and peripheral vascular disease. The Veteran's claims are pending.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes as there is no competent evidence that the Veteran meets the criteria for a diagnosis of diabetes.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral open angle glaucoma is secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II. The examiner must consider and discuss relevant lay and medical evidence, including a Mayo Clinic article.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for a TDIU for the period beginning October 19, 2023, as it was fully granted. The claim is remanded to consider whether entitlement to a TDIU during the one-year lookback period prior to October 19, 2023, is warranted on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's prostate cancer and diabetes are granted service connection due to presumed exposure to herbicides in the Korean DMZ. Service connection for erectile dysfunction is also granted as secondary to his service-connected prostate cancer. However, asthma cannot be linked to herbicide exposure and thus denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding that new and relevant evidence did not support readjudication of these claims. The TDIU claim was also denied as the Veteran's single service-connected condition (hiatal hernia) did not render him unemployable.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bladder cancer and diabetes mellitus, type II are granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Thailand. Service connection is denied for skin cancer as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.