Diabetes decisions — 2005

The Board has determined that the veteran served in Vietnam and is therefore entitled to the presumptions for Agent Orange exposure, leading to a grant of service connection for type II diabetes mellitus.

The veteran's type II diabetes mellitus, diabetic retinopathy, macular edema and end-stage renal disease are all service-connected due to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.

The veteran's diabetes mellitus is related to and aggravated by his service-connected hypertension, warranting service connection on a secondary basis.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, finding no evidence of exposure to herbicide agents and denying presumptive service connection. The Board also noted that there was no evidence linking current diabetes to his military service.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus does not warrant a rating higher than 20 percent, as it only requires oral hypoglycemic agents and a restricted diet.

The Board has determined that further development of the evidence is needed before deciding the claims for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination to determine if the veteran's current eye disorders are related to service or his diabetes. The issue of secondary service connection for hypertension is also being considered.

The veteran claims service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, which he asserts is a residual of exposure to herbicides during his military service. The claim is remanded due to the lack of supporting evidence showing that all members of Patrol Squadron Forty-Seven were involved in duty or visitation on the ground in Vietnam.

The veteran died due to myocardial infarction, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and non-insulin dependent diabetes. The service-connected disabilities did not cause his death.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and denied DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The VA denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and laryngeal cancer, finding that the conditions were not incurred or aggravated by active service.

The veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred from April 27, 1997 to April 28, 1997 are denied as there is no service-connected disability and the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1725 do not apply due to the lack of a qualifying emergency condition.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding whether the veteran's diabetes contributed substantially and materially to his death from heart disease. The claims will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The veteran's death was caused by metastatic pancreatic cancer, but the cause of his diabetes mellitus is unclear. The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and opinion from an endocrinologist.

The Board has denied the claims of service connection for type-II diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia. The claim for a compensable evaluation for hypertension is being remanded.

The veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, as a residual of exposure to herbicides during service, is denied. The Board found that the veteran did not meet the regulatory presumption of active service in the Republic of Vietnam and thus could not be presumed exposed to herbicides during service.

The Board found that the veteran does not have diabetic neuropathy, lower extremities as a result of disease or injury incurred during service or secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to conflicting causes of death and need for a medical opinion on the relationship between the veteran's osteoarthritis and his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease and assigned initial disability ratings of 10 percent each for peripheral neuropathy of his lower extremities. The veteran was not granted higher initial ratings.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and hypercholesterolemia as secondary to the veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus (DM). The initial ratings for DM with diabetic retinopathy have been increased, but not beyond the maximum allowed. Ratings for right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy remain at 10 percent.