Diabetes as a Secondary Condition

[KansasNavy]

Can Diabetes be secondary to another condition? I was just diagnosed with Diabetes at 53 which I think is kind of young.  I am not overweight or sedentary and eat fairly healthy I think.  I was awarded a service condition for severe anemia as well as an RBB heart condition.  I am going to the Dr. to discuss my options as far as treatment, and plan to ask if something else could have caused the Diabetes.  I retired 4 years ago and out of the blue it shows up.  I don't understand all the blood work numbers in my military records or what they mean.  Is it possible that there were signs of Diabetes in the service, but never caught by a doctor?  I plan to ask the Doctor to help me understand, but thought someone here at Hadit might have dealt with Diabetes years later.

[brokensoldier244th]

You are too young for it to be presumptive to RVN service, that much I know based on your age. Others will have to weigh in on the rest of it. Sometimes you just get diabetes- it's happened to a few of my friends that were healthy and exercised regularly and are right. Adult onset diabetes, and there doesn't have to be a family history of it. There may be something in your blood work records from service but diabetes that requires treatment is something that requires treatment. If it was bad enough when you were in service they would have caught it. It's not something that can just be ignored or you damage organs and pieces start to fall off.

[Buck52]

There's a slim chance the Dr's didn't catch any abnormalities  but I doubt it

You need to get all your SMR's (service medical records) go over them with a fine tooth comb and research them closely  to see if any of your blood work had shown abnormalities ...if the VA did the Blood test  if any thing shows up the computers are suppose to catch that and  change the letters to RED so the Dr's can catch that..sometimes the computers don't do that,  this is why you need to read your medical records very precisely .

Other wise you will need a Veteran friendly Dr to help you nexus the possibility of you had a ''chance'' of the diabetes onset while in the military  but the only thing there  the VA don't go by the word ''chance''  it has to be fact and it has to come from your previous medical records.

[broncovet]

Yes, you can get compensated for diabetes as secondary to one or more of your current SC conditions.  Of course, you will need a dr.s "nexus" statement which says YOUR diabetes is at least as not related to (your sc condition).  

As long as you have such a nexus, and a diagnosis of diabetes, this will complete your caluza elements.  NOTE:  You need only 2 Caluza elements, current diagnosis and nexus to a sc condition, instead of the usual 3.  The reason is the "in service event" is already established by your primary sc condition.  

[Buck52]

broncovet quoted

''The reason is the "in service event" is already established by your primary sc condition.''  

Are you sure about this? he has to get a nexus on the diabetes claim..so a Dr would have to say that his condition could be related to his secondary  to establish the primer sc condition. or the other way around.

he was I was awarded a service condition for severe anemia as well as an RBB heart condition.  

so a Doc would need to nexus his RBB Heart condition to the now diagnose Debates.

that would be secondary to his heart condition   being he is S.C. for the Heart condition the dr could possibly say his diabetes is secondary to his Heart condition...although no medical records state he had onset diabetes while in the military....they can go back and say this?

Getting diabetes secondary is hard if no medical records are found to connect the two together, Unless he was diagnose for heart condition while in the military...he could have got the heart condition s.c after he got out ? but as long a sit is sc  thats the key  here right?

Edited December 12, 2018 by Buck52

[Berta]

"There's a slim chance the Dr's didn't catch any abnormalities  but I doubt it".

But on the other hand, perhaps they failed to catch abnormalities.As I well know they can-

My direct SC death award of 2009 was because I had found those abnormalities, not in my husband's SMRs ( he was an AO vet), but within his VA medical records.

As I mentioned here before, I already received FTCA and wrongful death 1151 DIC- for malpractice on "multiple" other conditions.But my daughter, still in service at the time, insisted I re open for diabetes as one of the malpracticed conditions.She knew it had become an AO presumptive.

The wprk I had to do was very extensive, and I also got 3 IMOs to support the claim.-which my RO ignored so I was glad the case went to the BVA-

my husband had no diagnosis or treatment as a VA pt for the diabetes.

The BVA awarded the claim.

 

Diabetes however can cause a multitude of secondaries, such as diabetic heart disease, PN, PAD, diabetic retinopathy, transient ischemia, and stroke.

My husband had all of the above except the retinopathy- but suffered from severe visual problems, that I proved were due to the DMII.

VA, at many times, within his VA medical records, had checked off his glucose and trigyceride levels- a good DMII marker- that were very high- but did nothing at all regarding any HBAIC tests and gave him no treatment or care at all for this as well as the "multiple" other disabilities he had that caused his death.

Your SMRs might not reveal anything to help the claim-

however I helped a vet with diabetes get SCed after almost 10 years, because neither his service rep, nor is two lawyers ( was at CAVC twice) ever read his SMRs at all or if they did they did not know what the acronyms and entries meant and I even wrote to VARO as to his legal fees they were withholding because his lawyers had not done anything like the work I did, to earn a dime from this veterans award. I never heard from him again so I think the VA accepted my letter and never paid the lawyers.

I had to study Endocrinology to win my DMII SC death  claim, and to prepare a cover letter for my main IMO doctor, that would give my lay medical opinion credence, and make the IMO fees worth it.

You will surely need to get a IMO/IME as well---- but still I do not understand the basis for this claim......

What primary condition do you have now ( I assume it is not SC) that could make diabetes seondary to that once the primary is established as SC?

It could be secondary to the  RBB heart condition, and a dotor's strong medical nexus could prove that.

By RBB do you mean Right Bundle Branch? 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 12, 2018 by Berta

[broncovet]

Buck posted, 

Quote

Are you sure about this? 

Yes.  The Veteran need not "double prove" an in service event on a secondary condition.  

The "in service event" is established with the primary condition and this need not be duplicated with a secondary service connection.  

Its the main reason FOR a secondary condition:  The Caluza elements for a secondary conditions are just 2:

1.  Current diagnosis of secondary condition.  

2.  Nexus, or doctors opinion that the secondary condition is "at least as likely as not" related to the primary Service connected condition.  

     The "in service event" is already established with the primary service connection and need not be repeated.  

      Once a condition is service connected, it remains service connected until the VA takes action to severe service connection.  The Veteran need not "re prove" service connection UNLESS the VA initiates a severance of service connection.  

     A condition is either service connected or its not, a determination made by the VARO and/or sometimes in appeals.  Once service connected, a SC condition CAN be responsible for other conditions, which would also be service connected provided that there was documentation that the secondary condition was caused by a service connected condition.