Diabetes Board decisions

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and granted it, finding new and material evidence to support reopening. The Veteran's exposure is presumed based on his in-country service during the Gulf War.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) has ordered a remand. The case is now being returned to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in St. Louis, Missouri for further development.

The Veteran's claims for hypertension, kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, left hip disability, and right knee disability have all been granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type II, tinnitus, and depression, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted the claim for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus with associated conditions is rated at 40 percent disabling, effective May 21, 2015. The rating for the other disabilities remains unchanged.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied, and his claim for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction was also denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a current diagnosis of PTSD or any other acquired psychiatric condition. For diabetes mellitus, the evidence showed that it required daily insulin and restricted diet but no regulation of activities, which meant he could still be rated at 20 percent.

The Board found that the Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service, may not be presumed to have been incurred in service, and is not caused or aggravated by his service-connected coronary artery disease, hypertension, or chronic bronchitis/COPD.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus requires insulin and a restricted diet, but not regulation of activities. The criteria for an evaluation higher than 20 percent are not met.

The Veteran is granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2, hypertension secondary to diabetes mellitus, and tinnitus.,Diabetes mellitus type 2 is presumed due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. Hypertension is found to be related to the service-connected diabetes mellitus. Tinnitus was incurred during active service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, and impotency/erectile dysfunction have been denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to a scheduling issue for a videoconference hearing at the Atlanta RO. The claims of increased ratings for PTSD with depressive disorder and type II diabetes mellitus remain pending.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and hypertension, as his conditions are not shown to have been incurred or aggravated by active service. The Veteran's statements regarding exposure to herbicides do not meet the legal standard required for presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's combined service-connected disabilities render him unemployable, and the Board grants his claim for TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case for a Travel Board hearing due to the Veteran's request and will not assign a rating or effective date as this is a procedural issue.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction, currently rated as 20 percent disabling.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, status post-bladder removal with residuals of bladder cancer, and status post-prostatectomy with erectile dysfunction due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran has withdrawn all issues on appeal, including the claim for an initial increased rating for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction and retinopathy with bilateral cataracts.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining private medical records and providing a nexus opinion regarding the cause of death.

The Board has granted service connection for a heart disorder, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus type II, left ankle sprain, and right ankle sprain. The Veteran's current diagnoses of chronic sinusitis, ulcerative colitis, mechanical low back pain and degenerative joint disease of the thoracic spine, and radiculopathy of the lower extremities have been assigned initial ratings.

The Board finds that the Veteran's cause of death was due to exposure to extreme cold during service, specifically his participation in the Ardennes Campaign. Therefore, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.