Diabetes Board decisions

The Board has granted a disability rating of 40 percent for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity beginning September 12, 2006 and for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity beginning September 12, 2006.

The Board has determined that the purchase of a home therapy spa is necessary to help promote the Veteran's independence in daily life due to his severe disabilities, including diabetes and neuropathy.

The Board has remanded the case for an adequate VA medical examination to address the Veteran's theory of direct service connection and the pertinent evidence concerning in-service symptoms and liver dysfunction.

The VA determined that the Veteran's loss of vision in his right eye was not caused by negligence or fault on the part of VA, but rather due to the progression of his diabetic retinopathy.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board issuing a decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnoses of tinea versicolor and diabetes mellitus are related to his service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the claimant. The claims for service connection have been granted.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his hypertension and anxiety disorder, as well as the need for a statement of the case on the increased rating issue.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be causally related to his active duty service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The issue of an increased rating for diabetes mellitus remains pending.

The Board found that the Appellant's diabetes mellitus type II is service-connected due to herbicide exposure during his active duty in Vietnam, and granted this claim.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the other service-connected conditions do not warrant higher ratings. The appeal for increased ratings has been denied.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Jackson Hospital from March 5, 2009 to March 9, 2009 was denied as the treatment did not relate to a service-connected disability and he had other health care coverage.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for dysthymic disorder was granted, with an effective date of February 4, 2008. The claim for TDIU remains pending.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is rated at 40 percent, the highest available rating under Diagnostic Code 7913. His peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity and left lower extremity are each rated at 20 percent, his peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity and left upper extremity are each rated at 10 percent, and his erectile dysfunction is rated as noncompensable. His bilateral diabetic retinopathy of the eyes is also rated as noncompensable.

The Veteran's Type II diabetes mellitus is not service-connected as it did not manifest during or within one year after his military service, and there is no evidence of continuity of symptoms. The Board denied the claim for secondary service connection to hypertension and coronary artery disease.

The Board denied reopening and granting service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that diabetes alone was not a significant or material factor in his death.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his Erectile Dysfunction (ED) was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show any physical deformity of the penis in addition to the loss of erectile power.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and personnel records. The claims of service connection for residuals of a right fifth finger fracture, bilateral hearing loss disability, cold injury to hands and feet, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes mellitus type 2 will be deferred until further development is completed.

The Board found no evidence of service connection for diabetes mellitus and denied the claim. The Veteran's income exceeded the maximum annual pension limit, resulting in denial of non-service-connected pension benefits.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus due to Agent Orange exposure is denied as there is no evidence of in-service herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and hypertension were denied as there was no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or other causative factors, and the preponderance of the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and active duty.