Diabetes decisions — 2006

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a certificate of eligibility for financial assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing or special home adaptations due to his inability to qualify based on loss of use of both lower extremities, blindness in both eyes with only light perception, or anatomical loss or loss of use of one lower extremity.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing records and need for a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's appeal is dismissed as he withdrew his claims for service connection of eczema, including claimed as secondary to herbicide exposure; entitlement to an earlier effective date for service connection of peripheral neuropathy of left lower extremity and entitlement to an earlier effective date for service connection of peripheral neuropathy of right lower extremity.

The veteran's Type II diabetes mellitus is presumed to have developed as a result of exposure to herbicides during service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current Type I or Type II diabetes mellitus, as well as the severity of the veteran's service-connected right shoulder disability. The issues include determining whether the veteran's diabetes is related to his period of active duty service from May 1967 to March 1970, including as due to presumed herbicide exposure, and whether he should receive a higher rating for his service-connected right shoulder condition.

The veteran's daughter, C., is recognized as a helpless child for VA purposes due to her permanent incapacity of self-support caused by her brain tumor and related conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the veteran's exposure in Vietnam and his claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, including as due to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of her husband's death and for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding that there was no evidence linking any of the veteran's conditions to his active service or to a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's diabetes mellitus is service connected due to exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam-era service. The claims for secondary service connection of erectile dysfunction and peripheral vascular disease are remanded for further development.

The Board finds that the veteran served in the Republic of Vietnam and has a current diagnosis of diabetes mellitus type II. Therefore, service connection for this disability is granted due to exposure to herbicides.

The VA denied an increased evaluation for diabetes mellitus type II, as the veteran's condition does not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on insulin and restricted diet requirements.

The veteran seeks an increased disability rating for his service-connected diabetes mellitus, which is currently rated at 20 percent. The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination reports and the need for a medical opinion regarding whether the veteran requires regulation of activity as a result of his service-connected diabetes.

The veteran's disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance of another person (A&A) or at the housebound rate.

The Board found that the veteran's blackouts, pes planus, and diabetes mellitus are due to disease or injury incurred in service. The hydrocele of the right testicle is not shown to be related to service. The acquired eye disorder and speech defect are not shown to be due to service.

The Board has ordered additional medical records and further review of the veteran's case to determine if service connection for his cause of death can be established, as well as eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance.

The veteran's diabetes mellitus is found to have originated in service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The low back disorder is not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from engaging in substantial gainful employment before January 2, 2003. Therefore, an earlier effective date for TDIU is denied.

The Board found no evidence to support the claim that the veteran's death was caused by service-connected conditions or exposure to ionizing radiation. The cause of death was determined to be a heart attack due to coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for disabilities of the right and left heels, including bone spurs and plantar fasciitis. The claim for diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure is also denied.

The veteran's diabetes was not incurred or aggravated in service, nor may it be presumed to have been incurred in or aggravated by service. The Board denied the claim for service connection.