Diabetes Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and peripheral neuropathy in the Veteran's upper and lower extremities under the PACT Act, which grants presumptive service connection based on exposure to herbicide agents during active duty.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's OSA is secondary to his service-connected diabetes. The VA needs to provide an adequate opinion on both direct and secondary service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes and bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to an error in providing notice of the right to a hearing before the RO.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of various conditions were denied.,No specific reasons or bases are provided in the decision summary.

The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of TDIU and DEA. The Board has remanded these claims due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU was initially granted with an effective date of June 27, 2023, but later amended to September 9, 2021. He is now seeking earlier consideration on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability aggravates his diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied service connection for lymphadenitis, sleep apnea, Barrett's esophagus, tinea corporis, seizures disorder, neuropathy and neuromyelitis, and type II diabetes mellitus due to lack of evidence showing an in-service event or disease.,The Veteran did not provide sufficient evidence to support his assertions that these conditions were related to service, including exposure to radiation or heavy lifting.

The Veteran's hypertension and diabetes mellitus, type II are granted as service connected due to exposure to herbicides in Thailand under the PACT Act.

The Veteran's ambulance transportation on April 5, 2020 was for an acute UTI and met the prudent layperson definition of a medical emergency. The VA facility was not feasibly available, and the Veteran did not have other health insurance to cover the ambulance transportation. Therefore, payment or reimbursement is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment since June 2014.,The Board finds that the combination of multiple disabilities, including sleep apnea, coronary artery disease, and lumbar condition with radiculopathy, has prevented the Veteran from securing and maintaining a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional development.,The Veteran seeks earlier effective dates for his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II, right lower extremity (RLE) symmetric distal sciatic polyneuropathy, and left lower extremity (LLE) symmetric distal sciatic polyneuropathy. The Board finds that the VA examinations conducted prior to the March 2021 rating decision were inadequate for determining the severity of his diabetes mellitus type II disability.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for ischemic heart disease is granted from May 23, 2024. The claim for a higher rating for diabetes mellitus type II is denied.

The Veteran's asthma claim is being remanded due to new evidence received after the final February 2007 rating decision.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety and depression, is granted. The Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disability is related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II is being remanded due to a failure to provide proper notice of his right to a hearing before the AOJ.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional development regarding whether the Veteran participated in a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) during service, which could potentially affect his cause of death.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to incomplete records. The VA must attempt to obtain all relevant medical records, including those from the Louisville VAMC from January 2012 through March 2022.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and obstructive sleep apnea are remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions regarding the relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction secondary to PTSD and diabetes, but the claims of service connection for diabetes, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea are remanded due to a lack of medical opinions addressing the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left foot disabilities, with obesity serving as an intermediary step.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, kidney disability, headache disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD), and obstructive sleep apnea due to in-service exposure to toxic chemicals. The AOJ is directed to verify the Veteran's in-service exposure to toxic chemicals at Jacksonville and Davisville.