Diabetes Board decisions

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral knee disability are granted service connection. Service connection for diabetes is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for an eye disability, including a diabetic eye condition due to inadequate medical opinions and outstanding VA treatment records. The case will be reviewed after obtaining additional evidence.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, hypertension, arthritis and gout of both feet, left ventricular hypertrophy and mild mitral regurgitation, renal kidney condition, and diabetes mellitus type II are remanded due to the need for updated examinations and treatment records.

The Veteran's cause of death was attributed to diabetes mellitus type II, which resulted in hypoglycemia. The Board found that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during service or at any other time, and thus denied service connection for the cause of death on this basis. Additionally, DIC benefits were not granted as the Veteran was not rated as totally disabled due to a service-connected disability prior to his death.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus is granted based on presumed exposure to herbicide agents during active service.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, as a presumptive condition due to herbicide agent exposure under the PACT Act, is granted. The effective date of this grant is August 10, 2022.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension on a direct basis, without considering the PACT Act. The claim for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus is remanded due to outstanding private treatment records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes mellitus type II and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, prevented him from obtaining or maintaining gainful employment as of October 6, 2011. The Board granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and occupational background prior to March 30, 2018, and from October 1, 2019. Therefore, the claim for TDIU is denied.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and readjudication based on all available evidence, including recent VA medical records and social security records.

The Board has remanded the claims for squamous cell carcinoma, diabetes mellitus type II, and peripheral neuropathy of multiple extremities due to inadequate medical opinions addressing service connection based on herbicide exposure. The AOJ is instructed to seek clarification from the physician who prepared the December 2023 TERA opinion regarding the Veteran's diabetes status.

The Board denied service connection for heart disability, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), back disability, shoulder disability, and knee disability as there was no evidence of onset during or related to active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an effective date prior to February 18, 2015, for a grant of total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities not meeting the percentage requirements under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a).

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration due to new evidence being added to the claims file after the February 2020 Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes mellitus type II, and bilateral upper and lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted the TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes, finding that there is no direct link between his current diagnosis and his military service. The Board also found insufficient evidence to support a secondary service connection due to his thyroidectomy. The decision does not address any exposure basis or provide a rating assigned.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to failure to appear for scheduled examinations and lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

The Board has found a procedural issue and is remanding the case for further action, including sending a copy of the December 2023 Supplemental Statement of the Case to the Appellant's representative.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathies of both lower and upper extremities, and erectile dysfunction due to worsening symptoms since his last VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus is granted due to in-service exposure to herbicide agents at Fort Drum, which qualifies as an herbicide agent under VA laws and regulations.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, right and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to service-connected DM based on herbicide agent exposure.