Diabetes decisions — 2010

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and adjudication of his service connection claims, including a VA medical opinion to address the etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and hypertension as the evidence did not establish exposure to herbicide agents or direct service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected traumatic encephalopathy with related mental impairment caused him to increase his smoking, which led to atherosclerotic heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The Board concluded that this contributed substantially or materially to cause his death.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not cause or contribute to his death. Neither diabetes mellitus, hypertension, nor hyperparathyroidism were shown to have had onset during service or be related to a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was initially denied due to the VA examiner's opinion that improper shoe size did not cause his right foot amputation. However, after reviewing additional evidence from VAMC Poplar Bluff, a new examiner opined that the Veteran's left foot amputation may have been caused by carelessness or negligence on the part of VA in providing him with improperly sized shoes.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information and needs to request additional records from the JSRRC.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and temporary total evaluations were denied. The initial rating claims are pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for depression and PTSD, but found that his claim of diabetes mellitus was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence. The decision also noted that there is no medical evidence linking the Veteran's current disabilities to his periods of active service.

The Veteran's service connection claim for type II diabetes mellitus is denied as there is no evidence of the disability during or after his military service.

The Board will determine whether service-connected conditions contributed to the Veteran's death from cancer, and if so, whether they were a substantial or material cause of death. The appellant contends that diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and peptic ulcer disease may have contributed to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, and the Board found that his symptoms were not related to in-service events.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus and visual problems, as secondary to DM. The issues were related to whether these conditions are caused or aggravated by DM.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure, and the remaining issues on appeal will be remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a detailed statement of the appellant's claimed herbicide exposure and requesting verification from the DoD inventory of herbicide operations. The VA also needs to schedule an examination for PTSD due to service as a sea rescue team member.

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, and renal insufficiency are all found to be related to his service-connected Agent Orange exposure. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to lack of evidence showing a link between any service-connected disability and the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus was found to warrant a 40 percent evaluation for the period on and after January 19, 2007. The issue of an increased evaluation prior to that date remains unresolved.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and hypertension were denied, as there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease, continuous symptoms after service, or a nexus between the current conditions and service. The claim for TDIU was also denied due to lack of any service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for diabetes mellitus was denied as the criteria in the Rating Schedule adequately describe his disability level and symptomatology.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to Agent Orange exposure and denied diabetes mellitus for accrued benefits purposes.