Diabetes

[Smooth]

I am getting 10% for high blood pressure and 30% for thoracic aortic, can I link diabetes with this I am a diabetic with also having cholesterol.

[ShrekTheTank]

https://academic.oup.com/cardiovascres/article/114/13/1702/5056750

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4863816/

I just did a quick search of your service connected issues you listed and came up with this.

Gonna need a bit more information to help you fight this.

First off are you within 1 year of separation?  Do you have any other dyabilities?  Is diabetes in your C file?  I am not sure how they test for it, but I am almost sure during a blood test there would have been some evidence of this, and if they did not report it to you then that is a whole different issues.  

To answer your question it does look like there is a link between the diseases.  

My brother in-law has this problem and that really sucks!  Keep on those meds they will save your life!  

Edited December 29, 2019 by shrekthetank1

[paulstrgn]

Diabetes will show up in blood work. You should also look to see if your medical records say you were pre-diabetes. 

[vetquest]

What you would really need is an IMO from a doctor that links your disability to your diabetes, then you would claim secondary connection.  You should not have to spend your hard earned dollars for a civilian doctor to link your conditions but it is a necessity sometimes.  I got neuropathy linked to a severe heat injury but I needed an IMO.  Sometimes it is a long shot but it can be done.  They have to say that they read all of your medical records so have them available.  They also have to say that your condition is likely as not related to your disability and provide a rational for this link.

[blahsaysme2u]

7 hours ago, vetquest said:

You should not have to spend your hard earned dollars for a civilian doctor to link your conditions but it is a necessity sometimes.

following up on this- not related to OP question- 

but if/when you pay out of pocket for IMO, is there any way to get reimbursed by the VA for cost when you are SC? just was a side note.

thanks guys

[vetquest]

@blahsaysme2u, I paid out $3500 for two IMO's.  They only payback I got was my claim was approved at the BVA and I got ten years of retro.

I agree with others that we should not have to pay an outside doctor to get service connected but with the "non-adversarial" system of the VA that is how it works.

[paulstrgn]

It would be nice to get the amount paid for IMO when your finally approved for a sc disability. Unfortunately, I don’t believe that will ever happen.