Diabetes decisions — 2024

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple conditions have been dismissed as withdrawn during a hearing. The Board has also remanded several issues for further examination and review.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, finding that the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his service at Clark AFB is presumed due to his duties as a materials handler.

The Board has identified duty to assist errors related to the verification of herbicide agent exposure, radiation exposure, and service connection for diabetes mellitus type II. The claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed due to his death. The claims are no longer pending as the Veteran died during their pendency.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is currently rated at 40% from January 29, 2020. The Board has granted a higher rating of 40%. However, the issues of service connection for asthma and TDIU are being remanded.,Further evaluation is needed to determine if the Veteran's asthma had its onset in service or is otherwise related to his active service.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II on a direct basis, finding that the Veteran's condition is related to his military service.

The Board has restored the Veteran's disability ratings for peripheral neuropathy in both lower extremities from 40% to 20%, effective September 29, 2020.

The appellant is granted basic eligibility for VA home loan guaranty benefits as the surviving spouse of a veteran who died from a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus II, liver disease, high blood pressure, endometriosis, and infertility due to a duty-to-assist error. The Veteran's conditions are related to in-service exposure, but further medical opinions are needed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and congestive heart failure are being remanded due to a lack of verification of his foreign service in Vietnam, which is necessary to determine potential herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's PTSD and DMII ratings remain at 50% and 10%, respectively, with the case being remanded for further examination regarding hepatitis C. Service connection for hepatitis C is also pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMII) is denied. The claim for service connection for skin cancer is remanded due to a duty to assist error.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, finding that it is at least as likely as not proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support his inability to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has received a request for withdrawal of the appeal regarding increased rating for right knee disability and reopening claims for sleep apnea and diabetes mellitus. The appeal is dismissed as a result.

The Veteran is entitled to SMC under certain provisions of the VA regulations, but the RO needs to clarify which service-connected disabilities are the basis for these awards. The Appellant argues that separate grants should have been awarded under other provisions as well.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of entitlement to service connection for ED secondary to service-connected CAD and DM due to a duty-to-assist error. The VA medical opinions obtained were inadequate as they did not address whether the Veteran's ED was caused or aggravated by his service-connected conditions, nor did they consider the potential aggravation of ED by herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus, low back disability, PTSD with alcohol use disorder, hypothyroidism, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities is dismissed. The claims for higher ratings are remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Veteran's service-connected type II diabetes mellitus is granted a disability rating of 40 percent, effective from the date of the decision. The Veteran's sleep apnea is also granted as service connected.

The Board has dismissed the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, Type II, hypertension (HTN), panic disorder without agoraphobia, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to procedural errors in how they were docketed under the Appeals Modernization Act.