Diabetes decisions — 2011

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's death was caused by diabetes mellitus, coronary artherosclerosis, and hypertension. The Board has decided that the cause of death is not service-connected due to lack of evidence.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and development of evidence.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus with diabetic retinopathy, finding that the Veteran's condition was not related to his military service and did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection due to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher disability evaluations for diabetes mellitus, left knee arthritis, and bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran is not entitled to a higher evaluation for his diabetes mellitus as it does not require regulation of activities.

The Board denied service connection for erectile dysfunction and diabetes mellitus as they are not related to the Veteran's active duty service or any service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus was denied as there is no evidence of herbicide exposure during his service in Korea and the disease did not manifest within one year of separation from service.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2 and Parkinson's disease, both claimed as due to exposure to herbicides. The case is being remanded to verify the Veteran's alleged exposure to herbicides at Fort Chaffee.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded to obtain additional service treatment records and to attempt to secure private medical records from Dr. B.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, diabetic retinopathy, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development of records. The Board will consider whether his service-connected disabilities alone render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, Type II is granted as service connected due to presumed exposure to herbicides while stationed near the DMZ in Korea.

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of diabetic retinopathy did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating, and his claim for TDIU was denied.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is found to be related to his active military service, warranting service connection.

The Veteran's appeal of the increased rating for diabetes mellitus Type II has been withdrawn. The Board finds that he is entitled to SMC based on the need for aid and attendance (A&A) due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen several service connection claims for various conditions, but the claims are all denied as the appellant did not provide credible evidence of exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during service.

The Board has granted the appellant's request to reopen her claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death. The new evidence submitted since the last denial supports reopening the claim, but a VA medical opinion is needed to determine if the service-connected PTSD contributed to the Veteran's death.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of June 4, 2007, for the grant of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU). The evidence did not show that his service-connected disabilities alone precluded gainful employment prior to this date.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and considering whether staged ratings are appropriate.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating greater than 20% for diabetes mellitus. The Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss, as her audiometric test results do not meet VA criteria for such a disability. For diabetes mellitus, while she was diagnosed with the condition in service, there is no evidence that it has been aggravated by any service-connected condition or due to an incident of service. The Board also noted that the Veteran's diabetes does not interfere with her ability to work.