Diabetes Board decisions

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate opinions from VA examiners regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected sleep apnea caused or aggravated his hypertension and diabetes mellitus, Type II.

An effective date of January 7, 2022, is granted for a disability rating of 20 percent for bilateral diabetic neuropathy.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to exposure to herbicides, including Agent Orange. The AOJ is instructed to verify the Veteran's claimed exposure and consider the new presumptive period under the Blue Water Act.

The Board granted a separate 30 percent rating for diabetic nephropathy, finding that the Veteran's GFR was consistently below 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 for at least three consecutive months.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error regarding his claimed herbicide exposure. The AOJ needs to conduct further research to verify if the Veteran served within 12 nautical miles of Vietnam during his service from May 1968 to July 1968.

The Board has determined that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during his service in Thailand and therefore meets the criteria for service connection of diabetes mellitus type II.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hypothyroidism, ischemic heart disease, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy have been granted with initial evaluations of 30 percent each.

The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II due to in-service exposure to herbicides. The AOJ needs to verify if the Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange while stationed at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico and conduct further development accordingly.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted service connection.,The issues of service connection for CAD and DM, as well as bilateral hearing loss, are remanded due to procedural errors.

The Veteran's claims for various conditions, including PTSD, were denied effective from the date of receipt of his claim in September 1989. The Board found that an earlier effective date was not warranted due to the finality of the prior decisions and the lack of a valid appeal.

The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, type II, heart disabilities (coronary artery disease with coronary artery bypass graft), prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction are granted on a presumptive basis without application of the PACT Act.

The Board has determined that the issues of service connection for obesity, diabetes mellitus type 2, obstructive sleep apnea, arrhythmias, hypertension, venous stasis, erectile dysfunction, and recurrent water blisters need to be remanded as VA examiners have not provided opinions regarding whether these conditions are related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis is granted. The claims for blurred vision, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus are denied.

The Board has remanded the TDIU claim due to a lack of treatment records from Willow Pain and Wellness, which may affect the Veteran's functional impairment assessment.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD with emphysema, asthma, chronic bronchitis, chronic pneumonia, and diabetes mellitus type 2 is granted. The claims for asthma and chronic respiratory disorder are remanded due to additional evidence received after the March 2020 statement of the case.

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for service connection for migraine headaches and diabetes mellitus has been granted. The claim for vision loss is remanded due to the need for a medical opinion regarding its relationship to diabetes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus II, finding no evidence of herbicide exposure and insufficient medical nexus to establish a direct link between his active duty service and the condition.

The Board has determined that new evidence was submitted and must be reviewed by the AOJ before a final decision can be made on your claims for service connection.

The Veteran is entitled to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to January 31, 2020.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to January 28, 2019.