Diabetes Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have rheumatoid arthritis related to service. The claims for diabetes mellitus, voiding dysfunction (chronic urinary tract infections), finger disabilities of the left hand, finger disabilities of the right hand, and lumbar spine disability are all granted.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus has been granted, with the effective date set at September 22, 2010. The Board found that no prior pending claim or adjudication existed to support retroactive adjustment of the effective date.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the AOJ for further development and consideration, including obtaining additional medical records and affording the Veteran an opportunity to submit evidence. The claim will be adjudicated in light of all pertinent evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus is denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis or presence of the condition during his period of active duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus is not related to his military service, including exposure to herbicides. The claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the bilateral knees was denied as there is no evidence linking the condition to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is service-connected and his left ankle disability has been rated at 10 percent prior to April 3, 2009.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction is rated at 20 percent, and the reduction of his diabetic retinopathy rating from 10% to noncompensable effective November 9, 2009 was proper. The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is rated as 10%, and his diabetic nephropathy associated with diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction prior to January 28, 2015 is rated at 60%. His peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity and right lower extremity are each rated at 10%. The Veteran's hypertension is not separately service-connected.

The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be sepsis syndrome with underlying causes including coagulopathy, respiratory failure, and severe metabolic acidosis. The Board found no evidence of herbicide exposure or service-connected conditions that caused the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's Type II diabetes mellitus is currently rated at 10 percent, effective June 25, 2012. The disability picture is fully addressed by the current rating criteria.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development.,The Veteran's diabetes mellitus appeal is being remanded as records from Sierra Endocrine Associates may support his claim for an increase in disability rating.,The Veteran's left knee arthritis appeal is being remanded to determine if there has been any worsening of symptoms since the last VA examination in October 2007.,The Veteran's right little finger and right knee disabilities are being remanded as evidence may support a secondary service connection claim.,The Veteran's TDIU appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his other appeals.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.

The Veteran's claim is being remanded due to the need for additional information from Social Security Administration (SSA) records.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain updated medical evidence and to schedule the appellant for an appropriate VA aid and attendance or housebound examination.

The Board denied the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his death was not proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have memory loss or erectile dysfunction that is causally related to service-connected diabetes mellitus. The VA examiner found no significant memory difficulty/deficit and concluded that osteopenia, which was diagnosed as a result of diabetes mellitus, is less likely caused by and/or worsened by diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus as due to herbicide exposure is denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of direct causation or presumptive service connection based on herbicide exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease are granted due to exposure to herbicides during his service at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hypertension and diabetes mellitus, type II were not incurred in service or related to his period of active duty. The effective date for any future grant of service connection is not specified.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals, and the Board does not have jurisdiction to review these appeals.

The Veteran's appeals for higher initial ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities and diabetes mellitus, type II have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of appeal.