Diabetes decisions — 2011

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for PTSD and diabetes mellitus are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations, consideration of new evidence, and issuance of a supplemental statement of the case.

The Veteran's diabetic retinopathy with glaucoma of the bilateral eyes was rated at 30 percent prior to January 15, 2008 and increased to 40 percent effective from January 15, 2008.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for further development, including verification of herbicide exposure and obtaining treatment records.

The Board has granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD effective January 14, 2009. The other conditions have been rated as appropriate under the applicable criteria.

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus was not shown in service or within a year after service, and there is no evidence of herbicide exposure. The Board finds that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection as his current diabetes mellitus is not related to military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus as due to exposure to herbicides is being remanded for additional development, including verification of alleged stopover in Vietnam and related exposure.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and verifying the Veteran's service dates. The claims will be reconsidered after these steps are completed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, eye disorder, and foot disorder were denied as there was no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or other causative factors. The Board found that the Veteran did not have presumptive service connection based on his off-shore duty aboard Navy vessels during Vietnam era.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, when considered together, are sufficient to render him unable to reliably perform gainful employment.

The Board denied the claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, finding no in-country service in Vietnam and thus no qualifying exposure to herbicides. The appellant's private treatment records consistently diagnosed him with diabetes mellitus type I.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for diabetes associated with herbicide exposure is denied as the earliest possible effective date is June 24, 2009.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, type II and left knee bursitis were denied. The effective date of the grant of service connection for PTSD with depression was set at March 24, 2004.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disorder, COPD, and diabetes. The decision found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for a back disorder, and concluded that there was insufficient medical evidence linking the Veteran's current conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's medical expenses incurred on November 24, 2006 for treatment of a service-connected left foot disability were authorized and are therefore eligible for payment by VA.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings, service connection, and total disability rating based upon individual unemployability were denied. The claim to reopen a skin rash was previously denied in December 1981 and May 1994.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected diabetic neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence, including VA treatment records and private treatment records.

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

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus and a lung condition is being granted, with the exception of the severance of service connection for diabetes mellitus which was found to be due to clear and unmistakable error (CUE). The lung condition claim is remanded for scheduling a videoconference hearing.

The Board has denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and coronary artery disease as secondary to PTSD, finding that the evidence does not support a causal link between these conditions and the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have myasthenia gravis due to his exposure to DDT during service. The most competent and credible evidence shows that the disability was diagnosed in 2005, approximately 50 years after separation from service.