Diabetes Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for SMC based on aid and attendance/housebound due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded as there is insufficient medical evidence to determine if he needs regular aid and assistance.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to make an informed decision on the Veteran's claims, including obtaining outstanding medical records and VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, lumbosacral spine strain, ischemic heart disease, erectile dysfunction, congestive heart failure, peripheral neuropathy, and hiatal hernia, have been denied due to lack of new and material evidence.,Service connection is not granted as the Veteran's current disabilities are not presumed by exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II as it found no evidence of a nexus between his military service and his current condition. The Board also noted that there was insufficient evidence to establish a secondary relationship with his service-connected rheumatoid arthritis.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate compliance with previous remands and insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's diabetes mellitus type 2. The case is being returned for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to report for VA examinations and the need for additional medical opinions regarding various service connection claims.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type I has been rated at 20 percent since September 2017. The Board found that the condition does not warrant a higher rating as it did not require regulation of activities, including avoidance of strenuous occupational and recreational activities.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, finding no evidence of in-service herbicide exposure and noting that the Veteran's current diagnosis is not related to his military service.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus, finding that the Veteran's condition does not require regulation of activities due to his diabetes.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and private treatment records from Dr. A.M., as well as an addendum opinion to address whether gross hematuria is a manifestation of any current disability or service-connected condition.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not service-connected as it did not manifest during or within one year after her active duty, and there is no evidence of herbicide exposure at Fort McClellan. The Board found that the presumptive service connection for herbicide agent exposure does not apply to this case.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine and diabetes mellitus type II, finding that there was no evidence of a disease or injury in service that caused these conditions.

The Veteran's kidney condition, including diabetic nephropathy, is granted as service connected. The Board found that the evidence was approximately balanced in favor of finding a link between the current condition and military service.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, diabetic retinopathy, and various neuropathy disorders and hearing loss and tinnitus. The Board found that the Veteran did not have any in-service endocrine, cardiovascular, or vision injury, disease, or event, and that symptoms of diabetes, hypertension, and a vision disorder were not continuous after service separation or manifested to a compensable degree within one year of service separation.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, diabetes mellitus type II remains at 10 percent, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities are both rated at 10 percent. Service connection for hypertension was granted on a presumptive basis under the PACT Act.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy and an eye disability, to include dry eye syndrome. The Veteran's claim for bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is denied as his current nerve disability does not appear to be proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, eye disability, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, and peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity as there was no current VA examination due to the Veteran's failure to report for necessary examinations.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, erectile dysfunction (claimed as impotence), and peripheral neuropathy in the upper and lower extremities due to a lack of evidence showing chronic symptoms during service or continuity of symptomatology after separation from active duty. The Veteran's claims were also not supported by medical opinions linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and left leg above the knee amputation are being remanded due to incomplete development. The Board requests additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus and TDIU due to unclear medical management requirements and potential impact on earlier effective dates.