Diabetes decisions — 2008

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and a TDIU due to outstanding VA and private medical records, as well as authorization from the veteran.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during service, which could potentially grant service connection for diabetes mellitus.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings have been denied as there is no current disability that warrants a compensable rating. The veteran's diabetes mellitus is currently rated at 20 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and malaria. The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent; his diabetes mellitus requires oral hypoglycemic agents and a restricted diet but does not necessitate insulin or activity regulation; and there is no evidence of active disease process or residuals from malaria.

The Board found that the veteran's diabetes mellitus, Type I, existed prior to service and was not aggravated by service. As a result, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, diabetes mellitus (claimed as secondary to exposure to Agent Orange), right knee disability, and loss of the left eye. The evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's Type II diabetes mellitus is not related to his service and denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's TDIU rating was granted effective June 1, 2004 based on the increase in severity of his service-connected conditions and to resolve reasonable doubt in his favor.

The Board has determined that the veteran's diabetes mellitus, which is presumed due to his service in Vietnam, caused or aggravated his fatal pancreatic cancer. Therefore, service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, finding that new and material evidence was not presented.

The Board found that the veteran's cause of death (congestive heart failure due to coronary artery disease) was not incurred or aggravated in active military service, nor may it be presumed to have been so incurred. The preponderance of evidence is against a finding that any of these conditions are related to his service.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA examination to assess the severity of his diabetes mellitus. He also requested to reopen his claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder and knee disabilities, PTSD, kidney stones, diabetes mellitus, and heart disease. The Board found that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by service, did not have a relationship to any service-connected condition, and no new evidence was presented to reopen previously denied claims.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims due to insufficient evidence regarding his claimed stressors and their impact on his PTSD diagnosis. The RO is instructed to request ship deck logs from the National Archives for verification of the veteran's in-service stressors.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus secondary to herbicide exposure and for bilateral hearing loss due to noise exposure during active duty and National Guard service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to his service-connected balanitis xerotica obliterans with urethral stricture (BXO) with US.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection. The diabetes mellitus claim was remanded due to insufficient reasons, while the gastrointestinal disorder claim remains pending.

The Board has received a withdrawal request from the appellant prior to any decision being made, thus dismissing the appeal.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.