diabetes Diabetes Claim

[tom91]

Previous notes I have added included mention of my back injury and subsequent award from 10% to 20%. I did not originally file a claim on my diabetes but plan to do so as a secondary condition to my back. Why? I'm not physically able to exercise, which anyone with diabetes can tell you is vital to achieving and maintaining good sugar levels.

Has anyone filed such a claim and were you successful? Any suggestions as to my approach?

[scorned462]

Previous notes I have added included mention of my back injury and subsequent award from 10% to 20%. I did not originally file a claim on my diabetes but plan to do so as a secondary condition to my back. Why? I'm not physically able to exercise, which anyone with diabetes can tell you is vital to achieving and maintaining good sugar levels.

Has anyone filed such a claim and were you successful? Any suggestions as to my approach?

I am in the same boat as you. I had surgery on my SC back in May 2007. Unable to exercise or work now and have gained a lot of weight. In July 2008 I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. No indications of diabetes prior to my back surgery.

I too have wondered if the diabetes could be secondary to back problems.

[john999]

Regarding the inability to exercise the VA is probably going to say that the DMII is due to unknown causes. We are talking about making a jump from being unable to exercise to a dieases that is systemtic in nature and effects your entire body. In my opinion you need much more of a nexus to service related conditions or service itself. They deny vets with HBP, Heart disease and other conditions just because they had these conditions before they were officially diagnosed with DMII. I think this is a bridge too far. There are people who are overweight and people who do not excercise and they do not have DMII. You can be sure the VA will point this out. I think you should be realistic.

[Chuck75]

To get diabetes II connected to a back injury is going to be difficult.

First most doctors will say that lack of activity contributes to DMII, it does not cause it. Next, there is the possibility of aggravation. If a SC'd condition causes another medical condition to "develop", the secondary condition can be SC'd as well. Although then you get into the VA getting to decide how much of the issue is due to the SC'd condition, and how much is not.

I face a similar issue, in the after the "formal" diagnosis of DBII, and getting it, SC'd, I had various heart and vascular conditions double in severity. My doctors tell me that this is not unusual, and various medical references not only agree, they state that the heart and vascular conditions may be the first signes of pending DMII. Getting the VA to see things my way is not going to be easy.

Regarding the inability to exercise the VA is probably going to say that the DMII is due to unknown causes. We are talking about making a jump from being unable to exercise to a dieases that is systemtic in nature and effects your entire body. In my opinion you need much more of a nexus to service related conditions or service itself. They deny vets with HBP, Heart disease and other conditions just because they had these conditions before they were officially diagnosed with DMII. I think this is a bridge too far. There are people who are overweight and people who do not excercise and they do not have DMII. You can be sure the VA will point this out. I think you should be realistic.

[john999]

Chuck

I think you have a good claim for aggravation of your conditions due to DMII. What you need is a medical statement making the connection. Since you were diagnosed with DMII first then the heart problems could easily be seen as secondary. The VA won't make the connections but your doctor can do it.