Diabetes Board decisions

The Board is remanding the TDIU claim due to the need for additional VA treatment records, particularly those from October 2019 onwards. The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy are considered in this decision.

The claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus and Parkinson's disease due to exposure to herbicide agents and/or radiation exposure is reopened. The claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, GERD, and his lumbar spine disability were granted. The claim for a gallbladder condition was denied. Service connection for hiatal hernia and hypertension was not established. A rating of 70 percent for the lumbar spine disability is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's heart disabilities and presumed herbicide exposure in service. The Veteran is also denied service connection for diabetes mellitus.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, diabetes, and supraventricular tachycardia as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disability with alcohol use disorder.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an effective date earlier than March 31, 2008, for the award of service connection and a higher rating for GERD, to include diabetic gastroparesis and hiatal hernia.

The Veteran's service connection for diabetes mellitus is granted due to exposure at U-Tapao Air Force Base in Thailand, where he served as a security policeman. The Board found the Veteran's account of herbicide exposure credible and granted presumptive service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to unclear service connection and exposure history, as well as potential Gulf War presumptions.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities because there is insufficient evidence on whether the Veteran's diabetes is related to his in-service asbestos exposure or his service-connected COPD with sleep apnea. The VA examiner needs to provide an opinion regarding the etiology of the diabetes, including its relationship to both asbestos exposure and COPD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, thus granting a TDIU effective January 28, 2013.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, chronic kidney disease, and coronary artery disease due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during the Vietnam era. The Veteran's claims are supported by his testimony at a hearing and VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus and bilateral hearing loss due to in-service noise exposure, as well as his TDIU claim. The VA is required to provide an addendum opinion from appropriate experts regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for type II diabetes mellitus, Parkinson's Disease, and hypertension based on presumed exposure to herbicide agents during the Veteran's service in Thailand.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is rated at 40% since May 8, 2019.,The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the lower left and right extremities are both rated at 40% since May 8, 2019.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, including diabetic nephropathy, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to the Veteran's active duty service, with a presumption of herbicide exposure. The decision also grants service connection for both conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for a heart disability and diabetes mellitus as due to herbicide exposure while stationed at Takhli RTAFB, Thailand.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to November 19, 2016. Therefore, his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability was denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for diabetes mellitus, type II and diabetic nephropathy secondary to diabetes mellitus, type II. The effective date of service connection was fixed at June 19, 2015 due to a liberalizing law.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is being remanded for a new examination to determine the current severity of her disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension and TDIU. The evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's hypertension was related to his service-connected PTSD or any other condition, nor did it establish that he could not work due to his service-connected disabilities.