Diabetes Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for type II diabetes mellitus and PTSD due to new evidence being submitted. The issues will be reconsidered based on all available evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, kidney disease other than diabetic nephropathy, and a vision disability other than diabetic retinopathy due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were related to his active service or exposure to herbicide agents.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple conditions were dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to verify his service in the Ohio Air National Guard and determine if any periods of deployment were federal service. The claims for service connection will be reconsidered after this verification.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus may be related to his service-connected hypertension, but needs further medical opinion to determine if it is secondary.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's high cholesterol is not a disability for which service connection can be granted. The remaining issues have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions.

The Board has remanded the claims for type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart disability, kidney disease, and bilateral eye disability due to inadequate VA opinions regarding their etiology. The claims are inextricably intertwined with the claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM II). The Veteran's representative needs to provide full copies of internet articles cited in his June 2018 Notice of Disagreement and October 2020 Brief. Additional medical opinions are needed addressing the relationship between the Veteran's military service, service-connected migraines, obesity, and DM II.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for increased ratings of peripheral neuropathy and diabetes mellitus due to his withdrawal of these claims in a November 2019 letter.

The Veteran's ambulance transportation to Baylor Medical Center on March 3, 2014 was approved as it met the criteria for payment or reimbursement under VA regulations. The Veteran had a total and permanent service-connected disability at the time of transport, the ambulance transport was in response to a medical emergency (nosebleed), and there were no feasibly available VA facilities within reasonable distance.

Effective September 26, 2013, the Veteran was granted service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and its related disabilities including diabetic retinopathy, right below the knee amputation status post right foot transmetatarsal amputation (Lisfranc amputation), peripheral neuropathy of both upper and lower extremities, and a scar from the amputation. Special monthly compensation was also awarded based on loss of use of a creative organ.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for skin cancer, a respiratory disability (claimed as trouble breathing), type II diabetes mellitus, and bilateral hearing loss. The evidence did not establish current disabilities or link them to service.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, as due to herbicide exposure under the PACT Act. The effective date is not specified because the PACT Act was not in effect at the time of the original claim.

The Board dismissed all issues of service connection and related reopening claims due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus has been granted a disability rating of 40 percent, effective from the date of this decision. Bilateral cataracts are also service-connected as secondary to his diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and vocational experience.

The Veteran's income exceeded the maximum annual pension rate, and he was receiving a higher service-connected compensation benefit. Therefore, his appeal for nonservice-connected pension is dismissed as moot.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and TDIU prior to December 6, 2022 due to insufficient clarification in the VA examiner's opinion regarding aggravation. The Veteran is also required to complete an application for TDIU and obtain his Social Security Administration records.

The Veteran's Hodgkin's disease, prostate cancer, and diabetes mellitus are granted as presumptively related to herbicide exposure. The claim for skin cancer is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation since January 12, 2021.,The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to an initial compensable evaluation for asbestosis, service connection for COPD, and TDIU on an extraschedular basis from December 9, 2014 to January 12, 2021.