Diabetes Board decisions

The Board dismissed the petition to readjudicate the service connection claim for diabetes mellitus Type I and denied a higher rating for tinnitus.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection, TDIU, and DEA benefits are denied.,The Veteran is not entitled to a TDIU prior to October 9, 2017, as his combined disability rating was already at 100% on that date.,The Veteran's eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits is also denied due to the effective date being set at October 9, 2017.

The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer and type 2 diabetes mellitus, finding no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents and no credible medical nexus between the conditions and service.,Both prostate cancer and type 2 diabetes mellitus were diagnosed many years after service, raising doubt about their relationship to military service.

The Veteran's claims for type II diabetes mellitus, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy have been denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.,For the compensable evaluation claim related to first degree AV block with chest pain, the Veteran is not entitled to a higher rating as his condition does not meet the criteria for a workload greater than 7 METs but not greater than 10 METs resulting in dyspnea or fatigue.

The Veteran's service connection claim for diabetes mellitus is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Thailand.

The Veteran is unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, and the Board finds that he meets the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board denied service connection for type II diabetes and a respiratory condition as there was no evidence of exposure to herbicide agents or radiation during service, and the Veteran did not provide sufficient information regarding his specific conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for an effective date earlier than May 10, 2017 and a higher rating for bilateral lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board denied an increased rating for Type II Diabetes Mellitus, finding that the Veteran's diabetes was controlled with oral medications and insulin injections without requiring regulation of activities. The evidence did not support a higher rating as required by the criteria.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for type II diabetes, a heart disability, and hypertension due to an error in providing notice of the right to a hearing before the AOJ.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), and rheumatoid arthritis for further examination and opinion regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied as his current disability level does not warrant a compensable rating.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for bilateral hearing loss is denied as the earliest available effective date is February 15, 2023.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and other acquired psychiatric disorders are denied as there is no persuasive evidence of a current diagnosis or causal relationship to his military service.

The Veteran's death was caused by acute combined drug toxicity (heroin and fentanyl), which is not service-connected due to the character of his discharge from active duty. The diabetes and neuropathy, while service-connected, did not cause or contribute substantially to his death.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus Type-2 and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Veteran's initial ratings for sciatic nerve left lower extremity, median nerve left upper extremity, and sciatic nerve right lower extremity diabetic neuropathy have been denied. The Veteran is granted a 20% rating for each condition.

The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction have been granted with effective dates of January 5, 2022. The Board found that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents in Thailand during his service, which is presumed for these conditions under the PACT Act.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus and gastrointestinal disability were denied. The effective date of the increased rating for left hip replacement was granted as February 11, 2021, but not earlier. Other requests for earlier effective dates were also denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes and bilateral knee disabilities were denied because the claims were not filed on the proper forms, and thus they could not be readjudicated.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 60 percent for diabetic nephropathy was denied, and the effective date for service connection for diabetic nephropathy was also denied. The earliest possible effective date is February 8, 2017.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for diabetes mellitus type one, LADA (latent autoimmune diabetes in adults) is denied as the evidence does not show that regulation of activities was required to manage the condition.