Diabetes decisions — 2008

The veteran is seeking service connection for diabetes mellitus and related conditions, including visual impairment. The Board has determined that the claim should be remanded to investigate his claimed herbicide exposure in Thailand and Vietnam.

The Board found that the veteran's cause of death, pancreatic cancer, was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied the claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding that none of them were incurred or aggravated by active military service.

The veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus is being remanded due to questions about his claimed exposure in Vietnam and the need to verify his tour of duty.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, chronic hypertension, and a separate compensable evaluation for diabetic retinopathy. The evidence received since the December 2001 rating decision was found to be cumulative and did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The VA denied the veteran's request for a higher rating of 20 percent for his diabetes mellitus, stating that there is no medical evidence showing regulation of activities due to the condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service or herbicide exposure.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and asbestosis. The claim for residuals of a stroke remains denied due to lack of in-service or post-service medical evidence linking the condition to his military service.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his cardiovascular problems to service or a service-connected condition. The Board also determined that the appellant is not eligible for non-service-connected VA death pension benefits due to her income exceeding the maximum annual pension rate.

The Board has determined that the veteran's diabetes mellitus and proliferative diabetic retinopathy are service-connected, with the latter condition being secondary to the former.

The veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type-2 due to exposure to herbicides is being remanded for further development, including a VA medical examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus more closely approximated the criteria for a 100 percent rating as of December 15, 2006.

The veteran's conditions do not meet the criteria for special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance or housebound status.

The veteran's claim for service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus, including as due to herbicide exposure in Korea, is being remanded for further development of his unit records and treatment history.

The Board has determined that the case must be remanded to obtain additional medical evidence and to schedule a VA examination for both hypertension and diabetic retinopathy.

The veteran is seeking higher disability ratings for diabetes mellitus, including a rating in excess of 20 percent prior to March 4, 2008 and a rating in excess of 40 percent from that date. The case is being remanded due to the need for updated private medical records.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to increased ratings for his service-connected knee conditions, pancreas condition, diabetes mellitus, low back condition, kidney condition, prostate condition, neck condition, left wrist condition, right wrist condition, colon/intestine condition, and left hip condition. The veteran was also denied service connection for a bladder condition and a stomach disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to lack of current disability evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have type II diabetes mellitus that is related to his military service and therefore denied the claim.

The veteran's cause of death was a cerebrovascular accident due to diabetes and coronary artery disease. The Board found that these conditions were not service-connected.