Diabetes Board decisions

The Veteran's left eye disability was not caused by VA medical procedures, treatment, or surgery. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that any additional disability incurred due to VA care is compensable under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Veteran's claims for non-small cell lung cancer, diabetes mellitus, type II, mild pedal neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities, and erectile dysfunction were all granted with effective dates set at March 20, 2008.,Earlier effective dates are denied as there is no evidence of a prior claim filed by the Veteran before March 20, 2008.

The Board denied a higher initial rating for diabetes mellitus and remanded the issue of entitlement to a noncompensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to November 20, 2007.

The Veteran meets the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected PTSD, which is rated at 70 percent disabling. His other service-connected conditions do not meet or approximate the percentage requirements for TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are so severe as to preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to September 26, 2012, for the award of service connection for diabetes mellitus, Type II. The earliest document considered as a claim was received on that date.

The Veteran has diabetes mellitus, which was caused by VA medical treatment including the prescription of Zyprexa. The Board finds that this additional disability is not due to willful misconduct and was proximately caused by VA's carelessness or error in judgment.

The Veteran's death is being reviewed to determine if any service-connected conditions contributed to his cause of death, including exposure to herbicides and use of prescribed medications.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to a lack of compliance with previous remand instructions.

The Board has ordered additional development to address whether the Veteran's obesity, diabetes mellitus, type II, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea are related to her service-connected psychiatric conditions or medications.

The Board denied service connection for seminoma of the left testicle, heart disease, diabetes mellitus (Type 2), hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD, GAD and MDD, and sleep apnea. The reduction in the evaluation of service-connected bilateral hearing loss from 10 percent disabling to noncompensable was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to assess the Veteran's employability due to his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and prostate cancer.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus and associated conditions is denied as there was no prior claim filed before August 8, 2011.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU effective April 26, 2009, due to the combined effects of his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and a lumbar spine disability, as well as his claim for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's current 20% rating for diabetes mellitus is upheld.

The Board has determined that the Veteran was exposed to herbicides during service, which is a basis for presumptive service connection for his claimed conditions. The claims are granted.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus, and thus the claim is granted.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the appellant's marital status and whether she was permanently incapable of self-support prior to reaching the age of 18. The case will be remanded for these purposes.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal with respect to the claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and eye hemorrhages during a July 2015 Board hearing.

The Board has decided that additional development is necessary before the case can be fully adjudicated, including obtaining an opinion from a VA examiner regarding whether the Veteran's polyneuropathy was aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.