Diabetes Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing (SAH) or special home adaptation (SHA) grants due to his combined rating of 90 percent, which does not include anatomical loss or use of both hands or feet, and does not result in a permanent total disability that precludes locomotion without aids such as braces, crutches, canes, or wheelchair.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, psychiatric disorders (including PTSD), bilateral cataracts, bilateral glaucoma, and hearing loss were denied. The Veteran's claim for stomach disability was also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic renal disease as secondary to the Veteran's already service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. The decision is based on medical evidence that suggests a causal relationship between the Veteran's diabetes and his chronic kidney disease.

The Veteran's chronic leukemia and recurrent pneumonia are granted service connection. The liver cirrhosis, sleep condition (previously claimed as sleep apnea syndrome), and diabetes mellitus, type II are denied.

The Board denied effective dates prior to August 10, 2022 for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as presumptively associated with herbicide exposure under the PACT Act.,Service connection for arthritis of the left shoulder, right shoulder, left knee, and right knee is granted.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for anxiety, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus, right lower extremity diabetic polyneuropathy, and left lower extremity diabetic polyneuropathy as the appellant withdrew their appeal prior to a decision.

The Board has dismissed all appeals related to the Veteran's claims for service connection and earlier effective dates, as the Veteran died during the pendency of these appeals.

The Board dismissed the appeals for earlier effective dates and service connection claims due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for diabetic retinopathy is granted, but the Board has remanded his claims regarding diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction and left shoulder disability.,The Veteran was previously rated at 10 percent for diabetic retinopathy. The Board found that he does not have incapacitating episodes requiring treatment visits.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes was granted, and the Board found that he is eligible for attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in a May 2023 rating decision.

The Board has granted the appeal for severance of service connection for left ulnar nerve upper extremity diabetic neuropathy, right ulnar nerve upper extremity diabetic neuropathy, and denied the appeal for severance of service connection for left lower extremity diabetic neuropathy and right lower extremity diabetic neuropathy.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is rated at 20 percent, effective from the date of the March 2021 decision. The ratings for PTSD and right knee disability are denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's right lower extremity below the knee amputation was caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II. The case is being returned for further development and an etiology opinion.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than December 9, 2021, for the grant of TDIU was denied. The Board found that the matter of TDIU was implicitly denied in the October 2018 decision and that the Veteran did not appeal this decision in a timely manner.

The Board has dismissed all claims for earlier effective dates and evaluations for diabetic peripheral neuropathy, as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal of the initial evaluations for diabetes mellitus and hypertension, leading to the dismissal of these issues.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence suggesting the Veteran's ships were within 12 nautical miles of Vietnam, potentially exposing him to herbicides. Further development is needed to determine which ship(s) he served on and whether they were in a qualifying bay or harbor.

The Veteran's hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, and obstructive sleep apnea were not incurred during active duty or within one year of separation from active duty. The lumbar spine disorder was not diagnosed during a period of qualifying service.,Service connection for these conditions is denied as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease.

The Board has found that there is pre-decisional error in the case and requires an addendum VA medical opinion to address the Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, type II, and Parkinson's disease due to exposure to toxic risk activities (TERA).