Diabetes decisions — 2010

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations of PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and impotence. The effective date for a TDIU rating is denied as it does not meet the criteria for an earlier effective date.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain his service personnel records and verify if he was exposed to herbicide around his base camp in Thailand. The VA will also provide the Veteran with a VA examination to determine if his type 2 diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy of the feet were caused by his military service, including his confirmed exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer are service-connected for accrued benefits purposes, and his death was due to a service-connected cause. The appellant is therefore eligible for Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) benefits.

The Veteran's service-connected dysthymic disorder, diabetes mellitus, and congestive heart failure contributed to his death. The Board finds that the appellant is entitled to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, diagnosed years after service, is not attributable to his service and denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for further evaluation of his service-connected lumbar spine disability and consideration of his claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability. The issue of an increased evaluation for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability is inextricably intertwined with the issue of his entitlement to a total rating for compensation purposes.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is not service-connected and his diabetes mellitus does not warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent.

The Veteran's appeal was denied because he did not file a timely notice of disagreement regarding the June 2003 rating decision that denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, nervous condition, an eye disability, and breathing difficulty.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, and hepatitis C as these conditions are not shown to be related to his active duty service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is presumed due to his service in Vietnam. Service connection for a right knee disorder and an irregular heartbeat are denied, but the Veteran has been granted service connection for prostate cancer with a noncompensable evaluation, erectile dysfunction with a noncompensable evaluation, and hemorrhoids with a noncompensable evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and an examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and the need for further development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Veteran's heart condition is not related to service or a service-connected disability. The claims for diabetes mellitus, eye conditions, foot conditions, hip conditions, leg conditions, hand conditions, arm conditions, and back disabilities are all denied as they do not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection due to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's initial ratings for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and chronic kidney disease have been granted. The Veteran is currently receiving a 40 percent rating for diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, as secondary to his service-connected hypertension, is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the diagnosed diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded for further development, including obtaining an opinion on whether his alcohol abuse is a symptom of or secondary to his PTSD and scheduling him for a VA examination to determine the current severity of his PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus, finding no evidence linking his current condition to his military service or any presumptive exposure to herbicides. The Board also noted that there is insufficient competent medical evidence to establish a nexus between his claimed disorder and his military service.

The Board has restored service connection for erectile dysfunction and special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a creative organ, as these determinations were improperly severed.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to additional evidence submitted by the Veteran.