Erectile dysfunction decisions — 2014

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling a Social and Industrial Survey to determine if the Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are not shown to be of such a nature or severity to prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment prior to April 29, 2011.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus and erectile dysfunction were not found to be related to his active service, including exposure to herbicides. The Board denied both claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes, erectile dysfunction, diabetic neuropathy, and glaucoma were denied as there is no credible evidence of herbicide exposure during service. The Board also found that the current conditions are not related to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and erectile dysfunction are all related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The claims for these conditions have been granted.

The Veteran seeks service connection for erectile dysfunction, which he claims is related to his service-connected Diabetes Mellitus Type II and Coronary Artery Disease. The Board has determined that additional development is needed before a decision can be made.

The Veteran's tinnitus is not related to active service, and his diabetes mellitus does not require regulation of activities. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against a nexus between in-service noise exposure and current tinnitus.,The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus has been rated at 20 percent since August 1, 2009. However, there is no medical evidence showing that he requires insulin or regulation of activities to manage his condition.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including additional VA examinations and a Social and Industrial Survey to determine whether the Veteran is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD with depressive features and plantar calluses, do not preclude him from engaging in substantially gainful employment given his education and previous work experience.

The Board has determined that a rating in excess of 40 percent for gout of the great toes is warranted, as it results in incapacitating exacerbations occurring 3 or more times per year.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for all issues currently on appeal, including the reopening of service connection for hypertension and various disability evaluations.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his active service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition. The claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, type II, erectile dysfunction, peripheral vascular disease of the lower extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities are remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including adjustment disorder with depressed mood, tinea versicolor, tinnitus, left ear hearing loss, and erectile dysfunction, have rendered him unemployable due to his medical conditions. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the combined 90% disability rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that his right ear hearing loss was not manifested during active duty, is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his active military service, and is not shown to have manifested within one year from the date of his separation from the military. His central nervous system disorder, including tremors and Parkinson's disease, is shown to be etiologically related to his active military service, to include in-service chemical exposure. However, his erectile dysfunction is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his active military service, to include in-service chemical exposure or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, have been rated at a combined 70 percent effective August 15, 2011. These conditions are found to preclude substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's hypertension, varicose veins in each leg prior to February 25, 2011, and erectile dysfunction have been evaluated based on their current manifestations. The Veteran does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction as they are not related to service. The Veteran's CAD was rated at 30% but the Board found indications of an exceptional disability picture and referred the case on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of his claims, including obtaining a report of the service retirement examination and scheduling him for sleep and genitourinary examinations to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine the etiology of his condition.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, and erectile dysfunction are currently evaluated as 20 percent disabling. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for any of these conditions.