Diabetes Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus type II, high blood pressure, right knee disorder, and lumbar disorder due to inadequate medical opinions in the original decision. The Veteran's service connection claims are being returned for further development.

The Veteran's TDIU and DEA eligibility were granted with effective dates of August 15, 2019.,Effective March 13, 2020, the Veteran received ratings for various service-connected conditions including stooped postures, diffuse bradykinesia and neuropathy in both lower extremities, mild neurocognitive disorder due to Parkinson's disease, partial loss of smell, speech impairment, sexual dysfunction, right-side buttocks scars, and hypertension.,The effective dates for these ratings are March 13, 2020. The Veteran's service connection claims were previously denied but reopened with new evidence supporting the claims.,Diabetes mellitus was not granted an earlier effective date than August 15, 2019.,Parkinson's disease and related conditions were also not granted an earlier effective date than March 13, 2020.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is granted as presumptively related to his service in Korea due to exposure to herbicide agents, including Agent Orange.

The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus, finding that the Veteran did not have exposure to herbicide agents during service and thus could not establish presumptive service connection. The Board also found no direct evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a VA examination regarding the cause of the Veteran's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and whether it was related to any TERA during his active service.

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for diabetes and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran's active-duty service is presumed to have exposed him to toxic substances, including those associated with the Persian Gulf War. A VA examination is required to determine if his diabetes was incurred in or caused by his active-duty service.

The Board has granted service connection for GERD, but remanded the cases for further development regarding DM II, OSA, and a right shoulder disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and renal failure as secondary to diabetes due to a lack of evidence showing exposure to herbicide agents during service, and because there is no direct or secondary service connection established.

The Veteran's bilateral upper extremity diabetic neuropathy was granted effective September 6, 2013.,Basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits was also granted effective September 6, 2013.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection on all issues related to arthritis, cyst or benign growth, residuals of right-hand shrapnel wound, squamous cell cancer on the back, residual scars on lower back, hearing loss, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), diabetes mellitus, type II, erectile dysfunction, gastritis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

The Veteran's pituitary adenoma, gynecomastia, hypothyroidism, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II (DMII), hypogonadism, and upper gastrointestinal (GI) ulcer with hemorrhaging are all granted as service-connected due to in-service exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is granted as related to his service, including exposure to Agent Orange.,Bladder cancer was dismissed due to the grant of service connection for bladder cancer in a separate decision.,Diabetes mellitus type 2 is granted on both presumptive and direct bases due to exposure to Agent Orange.,Left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is granted as secondary to diabetes mellitus.,Right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is granted as secondary to diabetes mellitus.,Right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is remanded for further review.,Left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is remanded for further review.

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus is currently rated at 20 percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as required by DC 7913.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities cause the need for aid and attendance of another person, leading to a grant of SMC based on A&A effective September 28, 2016.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus type II, sterility, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, and migraine have been remanded due to the need for further review of the evidence.,Claims for cervical strain, lumbar strain, right knee condition, left knee condition, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy are also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes, hypertension, and arthritis due to unclear causation.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus type II, sterility, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, and migraine have been remanded due to the need for further review of the evidence.,Claims for cervical strain, lumbar strain, right knee condition, left knee condition, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy are also being remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetic neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities have been granted effective March 5, 2014. The initial ratings for these conditions remain at 10%.

The Veteran's service connection claim for diabetes mellitus, type II, and tinnitus was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection based on direct service connection or continuity of symptomatology.

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus is granted on a presumptive basis due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents in the Republic of Vietnam.