Diabetes decisions — 2011

The VA determined that the appellant's service-connected conditions do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus, including as due to exposure to Agent Orange, has been reopened and granted. Service connection is established for a left leg below the knee amputation secondary to hypertension.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA ophthalmology examination and obtaining additional medical records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus and a stomach disorder, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen these previously denied claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II as there was no evidence linking his current condition to his military service.

The Veteran's emergency medical services at Palm Bay Community Hospital were deemed appropriate under the criteria for payment or reimbursement, as his condition was emergent and no other feasible options were available.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is rated at 20 percent, and he has separate ratings of 20 percent for each lower extremity peripheral neuropathy. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for either condition.

The Veteran's spouse is denied enhanced DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1311(a)(2) because the Veteran was not rated totally disabled for at least 8 continuous years immediately preceding his death.

The Board found no in-service event, injury, or disease related to diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension. The Veteran's current conditions are not service connected due to lack of continuity of symptoms since discharge from active duty.

The Board has granted an effective date of May 4, 2001 for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II.

The Board has remanded the case for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, due to herbicide exposure. The Veteran must be contacted about his hearing options.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus have been withdrawn.,Service connection is not granted for a left ankle disability. The Veteran's current ankle pain started in 2004.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining deck logs of ships he served on and determining if he visited Vietnam.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus and PTSD, but granted service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran is currently rated at 20 percent for diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that additional development of the evidentiary record, specifically obtaining treatment records from Lakeland VA Regional Hospital and Tampa VAMC, is necessary to properly adjudicate the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted a 50 percent initial rating, and his diabetes mellitus has been granted a 20 percent initial rating. The appeals for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, and chloracne have all been denied.

The Veteran's diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, bilateral peripheral vascular disease, and erectile dysfunction are all service-connected as they are related to his service-connected diabetes. The Board finds that these conditions were likely caused or aggravated by the diabetes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and bilateral eye disability, as well as his request for higher initial ratings for degenerative osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine.

The Board found no evidence of exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during service, and the Veteran's diabetes mellitus and stroke did not have onset during service or within one year of separation. The preponderance of evidence is against granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, which was initially granted in March 2002 and rated at 20 percent prior to November 19, 2010, has now been found to warrant a 40 percent evaluation as of that date due to the need for insulin, restricted diet, and regulation of activities. The Veteran's condition does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.